Cannabis law update – details on Ontario retail application process

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) held the first of its multipart webinar series for prospective retail store operators on November 27. In addition, the AGCO also released the first chapters of its “Cannabis Retail Regulation Guide,” which includes a section discussing the retail cannabis licensing and application process (the AGCO will be updating this guide on an ongoing basis and the most up-to-date version of the guide is available here).  Some important information released during the webinar and published in the Cannabis Retail Regulation Guide is summarized below.

Required documentation – retail operator license

The AGCO may require the following information and documentation in support of a retail operator license application:

• Constituting documents (e.g., articles of incorporation for the applicant)

• A schematic diagram (including the applicant’s ownership structure)

• Details of shareholders

• Financial statements

• Tax returns and tax assessments (including tax compliance verification from the Ontario Ministry of Finance, which is available here)

• Personal history (for all of the applicant’s directors and officers, shareholders and key employees)

Required documentation – retail store authorization

The AGCO may require the following information and documentation in support of a retail store authorization application:

• Business name registration

• Proof of ownership/tenancy (if applicable)

• Retail operator license application number or license number

Required documentation – retail manager license

The AGCO will require the following information and documentation in support of a retail manager license application:

• Personal history disclosure (presumably including tax compliance verification from the Ontario Ministry of Finance)

• Tax return or tax assessment (presumably for all of the applicant’s directors and officers, shareholders and key employees)

Fees and term

The AGCO has released the following schedule of terms and fees it will charge in processing the foregoing applications:

As we previously reported, applications will be available on December 17. In preparation for that date, prospective applicants can register with the iAGCO online portal and begin preparing the necessary documentation. Stay tuned for more updates.