Ontario’s largest municipality without any legal cannabis retail stores is set to reconsider its prohibition Wednesday, with a city report highlighting that its residents are “disproportionately” served by the illegal market.
Mississauga, Ont., was one of dozens of municipalities to bar retail cannabis stores from their communities when legalization came into effect in 2018. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is responsible for issuing licences, but the government left it up to municipalities to opt in or out of hosting stores.
Now, four and a half years later, with more than 1,700 legal stores across the province and the sector contributing $13.3 billion to Ontario’s GDP — per a recent Deloitte analysis cited in a city staff report — there’s a push to get Mississauga on board.
Read more: Mississauga council set to consider lifting prohibition on pot shops
Story continues below
