Province announces next wave of cannabis retailers in rural Manitoba

The province has announced the names of the next wave of potential pot retailers as it seeks to increase the number of stores in rural Manitoba communities.

In March, the province announced it had selected seven communities where the new stores would be set up:

• Flin Flon.
• Niverville. 
• Swan River.
• Virden.
• Altona.
• Lac du Bonnet.
• Rural municipality of Russell Binscarth.

It then chose retailers at random from a list of nearly 100 qualified pre-applicants who have been offered the right of first refusal to set up a store in one of those communities. If the first selected applicant chooses not to set up a store in that community, the province has selected a standby retailer who will then be given the option.

Once the new stores are open for business, the province says, it will have met its goal of having a cannabis shop within a 30-minute drive of 90 per cent of Manitobans.

The selected companies have 10 days to confirm their interest.

The selected and standby retailers in each of the seven communities are:

Altona

• Selected retailer:  Westleaf Inc.
• Standby retailer:  10022915 Manitoba.

Flin Flon

• Selected retailer:  10552763 Canada Corporation (Garden Variety).
• Standby retailer:  Auxly Cannabis Group Inc.

Lac du Bonnet

• Selected retailer:  The Viscount Gort Motor Hotel Ltd.
• Standby retailer:  Matzelle Holdings Ltd.

Niverville

• Selected retailer:  Canna Cabana Inc.
• Standby retailer:  Red River Cooperative Ltd.

Municipality of Russell-Binscarth

• Selected retailer:  2296476 Ontario Inc. (The Corktown Cannabis Company).
• Standby retailer:  5403651 Manitoba Ltd. (Yale Hotel).

Swan River

• Selected retailer:  Fire & Flower Inc.
• Standby retailer:  Westcoast Sunset Holdings Corporation.

Virden

• Selected retailer:  3381102 Manitoba Ltd. (Northern Hotel).
• Standby retailer:  10022915 Manitoba.

The province initially picked four retailers to open as many as 40 stores across Manitoba after legalization.

The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba has so far licensed half that number of stores — 12 in Winnipeg, three in Brandon and one each in Dauphin, Thompson, Morden, Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Keeshkeemaquah.