Hamilton

The Niagara Herbalist is first in west region to apply for cannabis retail license

The first company to apply to open a bricks-and-mortar cannabis retail store in the west region is The Niagara Herbalist from St. Catharines.

The deadline to file an objection is Feb. 20

Mature cannabis plants are shown in Fenwick, Ont., on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. (Tijana Martin/Canadian Press)

The first brick-and-mortar cannabis retail store in the Hamilton and Niagara area could be located in St. Catharines.

An application has been filed to open The Niagara Herbalist store at 33 Lakeshore Road, Unit 15 in St. Catharines.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario recently posted public notice of the application online and is accepting public submissions on the location until Feb. 20.

Applications have also been filed for retail locations at 186 Main St. in Brampton and 20 Cumberland St. in Toronto's upscale Yorkville region.

The Niagara Herbalist was one of seven people or companies selected in the west region of the province's recent retail licence lottery. Another 20 have been put on a waiting list.

Five licenses have been given to the east end of the province, two in the north, six in the Greater Toronto Area and five in Toronto. 

Recreational cannabis can currently only be purchased legally in Ontario through a government-run website, with the first private stores set to open April 1.

Queen's Park had initially said it would not put a cap on the number of outlets, but later said it would begin with only 25 licences due to what it called serious cannabis supply issues that had to be addressed by the federal government.

The Niagara Herbalist is the first west region applicant for a bricks and mortar cannabis store. (Facebook)