Robert C. McLeod

Much like with any business venture, the vendors would come forward with a business plan, and they would see whether there is a market for the product or not. Through the early work that we are doing, using the liquor store model, I think it would be a good determination of what type of market is out there.

One thing we don't want to see happen is those getting into the business thinking that it is a cash cow, when a lot of us know that it may not be. We just want to make sure that they know what they are getting into, and that it is a viable operation for them.

That was almost number five, there. The agreement that a vendor enters into with the NWT Liquor and Cannabis Commission has online requirements and inspection activities. They would enter into an agreement that would allow for the inspections, and the online guide outlines the requirements that would be needed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Our commitment was to have regulation and processes in place to assess anybody considering opening a cannabis store. We have released our regulations and information guide for anyone who might be considering opening a cannabis store well before the sixth month, and we will work with anyone considering opening a cannabis store. Opening a store within the retail framework has been released.

First of all, I don't believe the regulations are flawed. Maybe they do need some work. Again, we are 12 hours into the legalization, and it is a moving target, so the regulations are not flawed.

As for the Minister having the absolute discretion, Ministers or those decision-makers rely on a business plan, a business case, being presented to become vendors, and we have the technical folks have a look at them. They come forward with a recommendation. I don't think Ministers would have the time to sit and review every application, but we rely on the technical folks. They come up with...

Much like the revenue from liquor sales, that goes into a general revenue fund, which we in turn use to deliver a lot of the programs that we offer across the Northwest Territories, and 65 per cent of our budget goes toward social programs, but as far as specifically earmarked, the answer is no. It will be put into general revenue, and we will in turn use that money to deliver many of the programs that we offer today.

We provided the regulations for private vendors to committee. I believe it's also on our website, so if there are those out there who are considering becoming a private vendor, there are opportunities there. It's on the website with all the conditions that they have to meet, and I will follow up, but I would assume that would be part of the plan, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister does not think it's a laughing matter, but having said that, it was said before that this was something that was sprung upon us by the federal government, and we worked hard to ensure that we were ready for it. The pricing market, we've given committee an update on the costing and how that was going to work, and we have the producer cost, we have the excise duty, we have the markup and the freight commissions administration costs. My understanding is the total retail price, and it depends on the strand, I believe, is around $10.

Yes, the Member is correct. I did say that there was a good uptake at the beginning and made over $5,000 already, but it is now 14 hours into the legalization of cannabis. Maybe once the excitement wears off, the novelty wears off, or it is not the flavour of the day, there might be some changes, and it might get back to business as usual.

The Minister does make the final determination. I am not going to sit there and decide whether this business is viable; I would rely on the recommendations of those that would provide some technical and financial advice. I don't make the ultimate decision as...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we want to be sure that those who are seriously interested are fully qualified candidates to be vendors of cannabis, so I believe it is a fair deal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have not been contacted by any potential retailers at this point. Should interested parties come forward, we will assess those as described in the information guide that was released. So we would work with those who are considering becoming a vendor because we have released the guide, so the answer, I guess, is yes, we would look at starting to process applications.