The City of Red Deer officially opened the doors to cannabis retail, with prospective retailers lining up at City Hall to put in their development permits.
Mike Flierl, project lead with 420 Premium Markets out of Calgary, was one of the several people who were out early on July 24th — the first day that the City began accepting permits.
“There was seven ahead of us this morning. You’d think there would be a little bit more of a crowd forming, but this is a good group,” he said.
According to Flierl, grabbing an early development permit can be the difference between being accepted and not.
“It is first come, first serve. As soon as you get your DP number, you are pretty much locked into your location. If you are in competition with another guy, it becomes an issue of easement and makes the job a little harder.”
Flierl didn’t know whether his potential location would be in competition, but is confident they will be able to begin the process of development soon.
“Once it is approved, it goes up for display to allow the public to give their answer and learn more about it. After that, if you are accepted, you can get in your building permits and start building your store,” he said, adding that 420 Premium Markets is in several municipalities.
“We are excited with every location. It is a crazy industry right now, as most people that have paid attention to it know,” he said.
Red Deer, according to Flierl, has been one of the better municipalities to work with.
“The bigger cities like Calgary or Edmonton have been tough, with Edmonton being the toughest. Places like Red Deer and Leduc have been very easy and very accommodating,” he said.
