The province says it plans to take a “phased approach” to introducing retail cannabis stores, with only 25 licences being handed out in the first offering.

Minister of Finance Vic Fedeli says a lottery system will be used to decide who is eligible, with the results being announced in January.

“From all of the thousands of applications that come in there will be a lottery and they will be divvied up regionally. So there will be a regional understanding which includes Northern Ontario,” he says.

He says this is all happening because of a supply shortage.

City Council in North Bay has already given the green light to allowing a pot store here.

Filed under: Cannabis legalization, Finance Minister Vic Fedeli