O'LEARY, P.E.I. — O’LEARY, P.E.I. - He’s not anticipating making a purchase, but O'Leary Mayor Eric Gavin was not ruling out getting in line to check out the P.E.I. Cannabis Corporation’s newest store.
After a series of construction delays, the corporation’s O’Leary store opens Friday, Jan. 25 in a new building being leased from the town.
“People ask me that a lot and I’ve been thinking very hard on that,” Gavin said when asked whether he’ll be making a purchase. “You know, never say ‘never.’ If it gets to a point, if I’ve got pains in my arms, my legs, my back, and I can get something that will take that pain away and sleep better, I may look at it very, very strongly.
“Right today? No. Next year? Maybe.”
Gavin is pleased the province accepted his council’s proposal to provide the P.E.I. Cannabis Management Corporation with a building to house the West Prince location, but he admitted he was frustrated and disappointed it took so long to bring the project to completion.
The store was supposed to be ready for occupancy on Oct. 17, 2018, the day three other corporate stores in the province opened for business.
The mayor said council received only a small amount of opposition to the cannabis store – concerns expressed by a church in town and a letter from a non-resident.
“You know, never say ‘never.’ Right today? No. Next year? Maybe.”
-O'Leary Mayor Eric Gavin on whether he'll purchase cannabis
He figures area residents came to understand there are strict rules surrounding the operation of the cannabis stores and the use of cannabis.
“People’s got to realize here, there’s rules and regulations to this; it just isn’t free-for-all. And information. I think that has to be the biggest thing for everybody.”
The corporation released figures Wednesday showing total sales from Oct. 17 to Dec. 31 were $3,509,913. That’s from three corporate stores and online sales combined.
Zach Currie, the corporation’s director of cannabis operations, said sales at their Summerside location were higher than projected and suggested some of that bump was likely due to West Prince customers shopping there while the O’Leary store was still under construction.
The store has windows on only the front of the building and one small sign. Currie said more signage is yet to arrive.
“It’s really that balance of being visible and overtly kind of saying, ‘We’re here, we’re here, come look at us’ and we want to be discreet and respect people’s privacy.”
No one under the age of 19 is permitted in the building and frosted glass prevents visibility into the retail area.
“Finally. Finally. Finally,” Gavin said following a tour of the building Wednesday. “That’s the biggest thing for me right now, it’s ‘finally.’ It took a long time, a lot of frustrations and phone calls. That’s the biggest thing for me: Finally. Finally, it’s here.”
The town has been collecting rent on the building since the middle of October.
But he’s most pleased that, with the store complete, there will be spinoffs for other area businesses created from staff now re-located back to O’Leary and the foot traffic he expects the new store will generate.
“It all helps.”
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