Richard Froese
South Peace News

A cannabis retailer may set up shop in Kinuso if a local entrepreneur is approved to sell marijuana when it becomes legal in the coming months.
Gerald Millett says he applied for a licence on March 6 with the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission. The owner name 2101036 Alberta Inc. was incorporated on Feb. 23, just for the purpose of opening a retail cannabis business.
“Our operating name will be DJ’s Herb Shoppe once cannabis is legalized and also depending on approval by AGLC,” Millett says.
“The application review and approval is two to four months by the AGLC’s own guidelines; no one really knows the true timeline.”
The business would be located on Centre Street.
“We worked on the application in February and sent it out on March 6,” Millett says.
“The application itself was about 70 pages and additional information was needed for security and financial purposes.”
South Peace News reported in the May 2 issue no applications in the High Prairie area were on a list posted on the Edmonton Journal Website in late April. No official AGLC list could be found.
Since that story, Millett contacted the South Peace News about his application.
“It was posted on the ALGC objections on March 28 and was up there for 21 days and taken down on April 18,” Millett says.
However, small business owners like Millett may be out of luck with hopes to become a retailer.
A news story in the Edmonton Sun on May 11 reports that franchise-based business is a priority for the cannibas panel for the AGLC, similar to other jurisdictions in the United States.
About 500 applications have been received by the AGLC to select 250 retailers.
Big Lakes County continues to research and prepare for the legalization and will present recommendations and options to council in the coming weeks, says a report from Pat Olansky, director of planning and development, as part of the council agenda package April 11.