CALGARY—Hundreds of hopeful retailers are jockeying for position a month into the race to own a piece of Alberta’s recreational cannabis market.

More than 400 applications have been made since the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) started accepting them on March 6, according to spokesperson Heather Holmen.

The proposed store locations are posted on the AGLC’s website for a 21-day period in which it will consider objections, Holmen explained.

“The addresses (listed online) are proposed, but not confirmed locations until an offer to lease is confirmed, along with approval from the municipality,” she said. “In regards to objections, they are treated confidentially.”

The AGLC, which will be responsible for licensing private cannabis retailers, distribution and online sales in the province once recreational marijuana is legalized in Canada, estimates a two- to four- month waiting time for applications to be processed once city approval and retail space have been locked down.

But that won’t be easy.

The City of Calgary begins accepting cannabis store development permit applications in-person and online first thing Tuesday, on a first-come-first-serve basis — nothing will actually be approved until the federal government finalizes a legalization date.

Earlier this month, city council approved minimum distances between cannabis retail stores, schools and emergency shelters in Calgary, although the exact distance varies depending on the proposed site’s land zoning designation.

Local cannabis entrepreneur Mack Andrews said buffer zones are a good way to prevent overcrowding.

“It makes a lot of sense to not have more than two stores within a certain radius, because there’s potential we just get overrun,” said Andrews, who also co-founded the Alberta Cannabis Collective.

“If you look at other jurisdictions who have legalized, that has been a problem — Denver is the example everyone goes to, at one point they had more cannabis retail (stores) than Starbucks.”

His company, Aylmer & Nelson, secured a future store location in Calgary, but Andrews said there are big challenges when it comes to finding a physical space to set up.

“It’s difficult to get commercial real estate space in Calgary. Although on the industrial side of things there’s high vacancy rates, vacancy rates in retail are very low,” Andrews said.

“Really, what it comes down to is a commercial real estate battle and just trying to get locations and areas where the use will be allowed ... making sure you are not within that buffer zone of another store.”

In addition to a $400 application fee, the AGLC requires a $3,000 initial deposit for each cannabis retail store license application to cover the cost of background checks for applicants, their business associates and key employees.

Just like liquor stores, cannabis retailers in Alberta will be required to pay a $700 annual licensing fee and their employees will have to take a mandatory online certification program before they can hit the sales floor.

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That training program will be available through the AGLC’s website starting on May 1.

Those with links to the illegal cannabis market — including criminal convictions related to trafficking, manufacturing or producing a controlled drug or substance and serious violent offences — are ineligible for a licence, according to the AGLC.

EC Elizabeth Cameron is a Calgary-based reporter covering Indigenous affairs, drugs and health. Follow her on Twitter: @e_s_cameron

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