Addresses for initial New Brunswick cannabis retail stores announced

If you're in a prominent New Brunswick retail district, chances are a CannabisNB store won't be far away.

The provincial Liberal government has announced the addresses for 11 cannabis stores in eight communities.

All 11 will be in high-traffic commercial centres when they open in July 2018.

In total, 20 sites will be open in 15 communities across the province next year. Tenders for the remaining nine sites will be re-issued and the government expects those stores to open in September, according to a news release from the Department of Finance.

"We are pleased to have been able to secure locations for 11 stores in eight communities,"  Brian Harriman, president and CEO of NB Liquor, said in the release.

"The remaining locations have been re-tendered for the nine areas, allowing for those who did not get a chance to submit the first time around to do so at this time."

The locations

The approved locations include:

Greater Moncton

• Choice Properties – 165 Main St.

• Mapleton Holdings Inc. – 40 Wyse St.

• Perfection Realty – 780 Dieppe Blvd.

Fredericton

• Dalin Investments Inc. – 435 Brookside Dr.

Oromocto

• Heron Enterprises Inc. – 16 Commerce Dr.

Greater Saint John

• Loblaw Properties Ltd. – 168 Rothesay Ave.

• ·Plazacorp Property Holdings – 944 Fairville Blvd.

Bathurst

• Choice Properties – 640 St. Peter Ave.

Miramichi

• Plazacorp Properties Inc. – 2540 King George Hwy.

Sussex

• Plazacorp Properties Inc. – 138 Main St.

St. Stephen

• Cordova Realty, intersection of Route 3 Old Ridge Road and Route 1

The sites are in retail districts, next to grocery stores, malls and big box outlets.

Online sales

Tenders were re-issued for these communities: Fredericton south, the Kennebecasis Valley, Edmundston, Sackville, Shediac, Richibucto, Tracadie, Perth-Andover and Campbellton.

Finance Minister Cathy Rogers said in the release that online sales will be also be available to ensure provincewide distribution and accessibility.

The 20 communities were announced in October. The locations were chosen because of their demographics, income data from the 2016 census, liquor sales transactions and traffic patterns.

The New Brunswick government said it will have NB Liquor set up the network of cannabis stores, which will be tightly controlled, in stand-alone buildings and not near schools.