News

Premier admits logjam

Published on July 5, 2019 by oz. staff

BC Premier John Horgan is acknowledging that the cannabis licensing system in the province is broken.

He told Radio NL there is a “glitch in the system”

“I am concerned. I thought we had adequate time to get this up and running. Clearly the system is not moving at the pace the private sector needs,” he said.

“Investors are saying I would like to get into this business, whether they were in it before or not, they make decisions on leases, on equipment, on staffing but how do you keep staff if you can’t open your doors.”

It took eight months for the Okanagan Valley (population 350,000) to get its first retail store. About 35 private stores are open in BC — compared to 130 in Alberta. Only one provincially run store is open, in Kamloops