Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen announced Friday the selection process for Manitoba’s cannabis retail rollout will take place on May 15.
“Following the federal government’s decision to legalize non-medical cannabis, we made a commitment to ensure 90 per cent of Manitobans have access to a cannabis store in a 30-minute drive from home within two years of legalization,” said Pedersen.
The province posted a Request for Pre-Qualification (RFPG) last July to seek potential retailers interested in a future opportunity to operate cannabis retail stores in Manitoba.
About 100 applicants pre-qualified as part of the process.
The selection process will be known as the cannabis retail opportunities draw.
Each pre-qualified retailer will receive one ballot per community of interest and one winning ballot will be drawn for each identified community.
Successful applicants can then go ahead with the agreement and licensing process.
The seven communities that will be included in the draw are Altona, Flin Flon, Lac du Bonnet, Niverville, the RM of Russell-Binscarth, Swan River and Virden.
