The Financial Post reports in its Friday edition that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) says its "too early to say" how many of the 25 designated brick-and-mortar cannabis retail stores will be in operation by the provincially mandated deadline of April 1. The Post's Vanmala Subramaniam writes that one lottery winner says, "We are hitting the deadlines that are supposed to be met." Ontario first announced the winners of the cannabis retail lottery on Jan. 11. It meant that those chosen had under three months to do everything from finding an actual store, to complying with the various ownership rules in order to obtain a Retail Store Authorization, to working with the Ontario Cannabis Store to obtain supply. The AGCO said that although it has dedicated groups working with each applicant, it is "certainly clear there will not be 25 stores open in Ontario right on April 1." Cannabis retail chain High Tide (Aurora Cannabis is a major investor) has struck deals with three lottery winners in the province, while Canopy Growth is lending its Tweed brand name to a lottery winner in London, Ont. To date, only 10 out of the 25 lottery winners have obtained a Retail Store Authorization licence.