BARRY’S BAY – The shiniest store in Barry’s Bay is BayBud Cannabis on Bay Street, and it is all ready to go – as soon as the provincial government can give him the final ‘go-head’ so he can actually order his products.
Mike Klobouk waits patiently for his store to be able to open. It looks amazing inside. He points out the many mandatory security features he has put in place, the attractive cabinetry and display cases.
He has been ready to go for a few weeks. It is a back-log that is the problem. It is a whole new industry, “the government is setting up a huge new system” he explains. The aim is to open one new store per business day, or 20 a month, in the province.
Originally he was in the queue with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) for an early July final overview but then was suddenly switched to the last week of August. He has no idea why this happened. People are asking, he said, when are you opening? He is really happy with all the interest he is receiving by phone, by email, and from passers-by.
It is the second inspection that he is waiting for. The first inspection was directed at the security features – steel doors, locked cabinets, cameras, alarms, etc. The final inspection relates to the point of sales software. It is intricately interlinked with the government. All the information about his sales goes directly to the government. Klobouk does not anticipate he will have any problem with this, but he is still waiting.
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