The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that one year into legalization, there are more than 500 licensed cannabis providers authorized to sell pot in Canada, up from 100 pot shops that opened on legalization day last year. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe says that consumer access to legal cannabis remains patchy between provinces and territories, and the black market continues to thrive. The highest number of legal pot stores are in Alberta, with more than 300 licensed private cannabis providers for just 4.37 million people. Ontario -- with 14.57 million people, or 40 per cent of the country's population -- has just 24 stores. Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia all have more legal cannabis stores than Ontario, but the region with the highest ratio of stores per capita is Northwest Territories, with five locations selling pot and alcohol for its population of 38,780, or one for every 9,000 people. Last month, licensed producer Aurora Cannabis cited Ontario's small and slow-growing cannabis retail network as a major reason why its fourth-quarter revenues fell short of its own guidance. Licensed producer Hexo also pointed to a "delay in retail store openings in our major markets."