Manitoba increasing wholesale cannabis prices by 2%

The province of Manitoba has increased its wholesale cannabis prices by two per cent -– a price that will be at least partially passed on to consumers, depending on the retailer.

“We’re bringing Manitoba up to the rest of the country. And even with this adjustment, we still will be the lowest cannabis markup in the country,” said Glen Simard, the minister responsible for the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation.

Brendan Swiridjuk owns Blissful Bloom on St. Anne’s Road. He says two per cent won’t affect him much.

“We are, I’m pretty sure, the only province that hasn’t had a wholesale increase since legalization started. So when I heard about the two per cent increase, I was obviously disappointed, but I was not necessarily surprised,” said Swiridjuk.

Other shop owners made similar remarks off camera, speaking with CityNews, with one saying he wishes they had gotten improved services or insurance rates with the increase.

Instead, the province proposed to remove the mandate for window coverings on cannabis storefronts.

“We’ve heard from the association that it’s a safety issue. If you have a worker alone, and should there be something happening with the store, if there’s a crime being enacted, that perhaps having a way to look into the store would be more safe,” said Minister Simard.

Swiridjuk hopes they follow through on that proposal.

“It would just create more of a welcoming environment. It feels very closed off to the outside world inside of the shop as well, and if people were able to look inside, get a feel for the shop before they entered, it would definitely help our business, I think,” said Swiridjuk.

Simard did not provide a timeline for a ruling on the window coverings. He said his government needs to look deeper into all the factors.