The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday, Aug. 31, edition that the regulator overseeing Ontario's legal cannabis stores says a dozen licence applicants who participated in the latest lottery have been disqualified.
A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe reports that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) held a lottery for the right to apply for one of the next 42 cannabis-store licences earlier this month.
Those who won the lottery had until Wednesday to submit the documents and the regulator says 12 failed to do so and were disqualified. One withdrew the application.
The AGCO says today all of the disqualified and withdrawn applicants are now being replaced by people on a waiting list.
Two of the Toronto locations were among the 12 applicants. The site of the illegal cannabis dispensary CAFE at 104 Harbord St. was not one of them. The agency says 29 applicants provided the required documents, which are now being reviewed, a process that includes background and police checks.
The latest lottery means the number of cannabis shops allowed in Ontario will rise to 75 later this year. Currently, there are less than 10 illegal storefronts in Toronto.
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