Cannabis retail sales could be coming soon to uptown Flin Flon.
In a report released by the Manitoba government March 22, the province announced seven areas that have been approved for the second phase of its cannabis retail rollout. Flin Flon is on the list and is the lone representative in northern Manitoba.
Last year, city council approved a change to local zoning laws allowing cannabis retail sales in the uptown business area pending city and provincial approval.
“We had been approached and had been made aware that we were on the list and there was going to be an announcement in regards to the opportunity to open a store in the Flin Flon area,” said Flin Flon Mayor Cal Huntley. “We were prepared for that because we’d already done the rezoning and all that some time ago.”
With the province’s approval, the next step is finding a company to open a retail location. Manitoba operates its own selection process for retail cannabis permits, using a randomized draw for each location. Once selected, a company can then agree and license to operate in Flin Flon. Almost 100 different groups pre-qualified for the first round of retail cannabis permits last summer.
Huntley said two groups, both locally based, had discussed potentially opening a cannabis retail outlet in town, but he was unsure if either had deals in place with a legally permitted seller or distributor. No out-of-town cannabis businesses have approached city council for approval for opening a retail location in the city.
After decades of political wrangling, recreational cannabis was legalized last October. However, smokers in Flin Flon have not been able to legally buy their herb locally. The city was not on the first list of communities where sale would be sanctioned by the provincial government last year. Anyone looking for the product has either had to buy it in The Pas, Thompson or Prince Albert, or order it online.
Huntley said he was hopeful a cannabis business could get going in Flin Flon, welcoming the thought of a new potentially thriving business uptown.
“We’re looking forward to it. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out and new business is new business. I had some conversations with a fellow from The Pas who had indicated that there’s an awful lot of Flin Flon traffic down there. Hopefully it’ll be sticking around home now. That’s a good thing,” he said.
Altona, Lac du Bonnet, Niverville, the RM of Russell-Binscarth, Swan River and Virden were also sanctioned for retail sale by the province March 22.
