Burlington will be getting a standalone cannabis store when the recreational drug becomes legal in July 2018.

The Ministry of Finance and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) identified the city as one of 40 municipalities across the province that will have a cannabis shop by next summer.

Twenty-nine municipalities have been listed so far for one or more standalone retail stores to open by then, including Hamilton, Oakville, Mississauga and Toronto.

The Ontario government introduced its own Cannabis Act in November 2017, after its federal counterpart released Bill C-45 in April to legalize the production, sale, distribution and possession of recreational marijuana.

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According to a city media release, the LCBO will determine where the cannabis store is located in Burlington.

Mayor Rick Goldring was asked his thoughts on his city being chosen to have a cannabis store during a Facebook live chat he held on Tuesday (Dec. 12).

“The decision to place a retail outlet in Burlington is one made by the provincial government. The city will work as closely as possible with our provincial counterparts to ensure we have input into the location,” he said during the live chat.

“It is the city’s expectation that the province will follow the city’s zoning bylaw.”

According to the City of Burlington release, it will work alongside the Ministry of Finance and LCBO to develop guidelines and a process for choosing a store location.

“The guidelines will achieve the provincial objectives of protecting youth by ensuring stores are not close to schools while providing access in communities and addressing the illegal market,” it stated.