No licence fees for pot shops in Regina unlike in Saskatoon

Running a cannabis store in Regina won’t be as expensive as doing so in Saskatoon.

Unlike the Bridge City, the Queen City does not require commercial business licences.

And with only six cannabis stores planned for Regina, the city has no plans to introduce such a system.

“To date, the city has focused on determining appropriate zoning requirements. We are confident we will be ready for the legalization of cannabis”, the city said in an emailed statement.

The city’s plans did hit a roadblock though, as it had to go back to the drawing board on the issue of the buffer zone around cannabis shops.

In Saskatoon, the administration proposed an initial business licensing fee of $20,000 for cannabis retail shops with an annual $10,000 renewal fee.

The fees are significantly higher than those charged for a regular business licence, which has a first-time payment of $125 and an annual renewal cost of $85.

The issue of retail cannabis will return to council in both cities at the end of this month.

— With files from Chris Vandenbreekel