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During his campaign to become premier of Ontario, Doug Ford promised a radically different model for cannabis distribution than the one planned by Kathleen Wynne and her Liberal party. The Liberals hoped to duplicate the province’s liquor monopoly. The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), operated by the government and staffed by public-sector-union members, would have slowly opened up stores across the province after marijuana is legalized come October.

Ford felt differently. “I’ve always been open to a fair market, and I let the market dictate,” he said during an interview shortly after winning the race to become the leader of the Progressive Conservative party. He didn’t speak much of the issue after that, and limited his comments after the election to saying he’d be consulting with Ontarians. But sticking with Wynne’s plan seemed improbable.

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So it was no surprise to learn this week that, come Oct. 17, Ontarians will be able to order cannabis through the OCS, online only (after verifying their age). The rollout of brick-and-mortar stores has been delayed until April, during which time Ontario will implement a system of private-sector distribution.