Proposed pot shops given initial green light in Stouffville, Aurora

Corner Grass in Stouffville, Aurora shop on Yonge win lottery to sell cannabis

Yorkregion.com
August 22, 2019
Lisa Queen

Stouffville and Aurora have won the pot lottery.

A marijuana store in each community has been given tentative approval through a lottery, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission announced Aug. 21.

Corner Grass Corp. has been has been given the nod to run a pot shop in Stouffville at 5779 Main St., Unit 5 in the new Longo’s plaza, near a Beer Store.

In Aurora, Grant Willson won the right to run a store at 15243 Yonge St., just south of Wellington Street.

"The locations are proposed only and not approved to open," Raymond Kahnert, the commission’s senior adviser of communications, said in an email.

"The process now commences for the applicant to now apply for a cannabis Retail Operator Licence and a Retail Store Authorization. The AGCO will undertake its full eligibility and licensing review. The AGCO will only licence applicants and authorize stores that meet all legal and regulatory requirements."

Whitchurch-Stouffville became the first council in York Region to agree to allow cannabis stores in a surprise vote at a special meeting Jan. 15.

"Cannabis is legal and it’s not going away," Coun. Rick Upton said at the time.

"Today, cannabis is very available anywhere, any time you want it on the black market. This is one of my major concerns; on the black market, you don’t know what is in it, what it’s laced with."

Many residents were upset with the decision.

Wan Jian Hu, who presented councillors with a 300-name petition opposing cannabis stores, vowed to move out of Stouffville.

A week later, Aurora council also approved allowing cannabis stores, which also drew a heated response from opponents.

The latest lottery granted 42 applicants the right to open pot shops, six of them in the Greater Toronto Area, outside of Toronto.