Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press Marijuana plants flowering at Tweed's growing facility in Smiths Falls, Ont. on Jan. 21, 2016. Ontario has named the first 14 cities where it will set up government-run marijuana stores.

TORONTO — Ontario has named the first 14 cities where it will set up government-run marijuana stores by July 2018.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which will run the shops through a subsidiary, said Friday the stores will be located in Brampton, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vaughan and Windsor.

The LCBO said its representatives, along with staff from Ontario's Ministry of Finance, will meet with the municipalities in the coming weeks to determine the exact locations.

Ontario wants 150 pot shops by 2020

The Ontario government said it will be identifying more locations for its first batch of 40 stores but notes that all consumers will be able to access cannabis through an online retail website.

The province plans to set up approximately 150 stand-alone cannabis stores by 2020.

Last week, Finance Minister Charles Sousa wrote municipal leaders and said Ontario's store rollout aims to achieve the right geographic distribution across the province and to reduce the number of illegal marijuana dispensaries that have opened since the federal government announced it will legalize marijuana next summer.

Our priority is to reduce the illegal market by building on our strengths to create an efficient and secure system for people across the province.Finance Minister Charles Sousa

"Our proposed approach is to build on the expertise and back-office capabilities of the LCBO to set up the Crown Corporation" Sousa said in the letter to municipalities. "Our priority is to reduce the illegal market by building on our strengths to create an efficient and secure system for people across the province."

The public will also be notified about the proposed store locations and will be asked to provide feedback directly to the LCBO, he said. None of the retail stores will be located near schools, Sousa said.

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