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As the LCBO scouts the city for places to open cannabis stores, City of Ottawa planners have asked the agency to avoid neighbourhoods that are “experiencing socio-economic stress.”

Staff declined to elaborate on which neighbourhoods should be off-limits. But the request raises the question of whether residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods should be protected — or excluded, depending on your point of view — from having a legal cannabis store.

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The Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation, a subsidiary of the LCBO, is asking municipalities for advice as it selects sites for the 40 shops it plans to open when the federal government legalizes recreational marijuana. That’s expected in July.

The public will get a chance to provide comments once specific sites are chosen.

The province has set general guidelines for locating the stores, which will sell only cannabis and accessories. They can’t be near schools, must adhere to municipal zoning bylaws, provide “equitable access” to customers across the region, and help combat illegal dispensaries, says the LCBO.