Ontario signs agreements with 26 producers to supply recreational cannabis

The Ontario Cannabis Store, the province’s sole legal online retailer for recreational cannabis, has entered into supply agreements with 26 licensed producers to ensure that a safe, diverse and high-quality supply of cannabis is ready and available upon legalization this fall. Starting on October 17, consumers 19 and older will be able to purchase cannabis via an online retail platform provided by the Ontario Cannabis Store. The OCS online channel will include a verification system that will ensure safe at-home delivery for cannabis products.

“These agreements are a significant milestone that signals our readiness for the legalization of cannabis in Ontario,” says Patrick Ford, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Ontario Cannabis Store. “These agreements will allow us to safely and securely provide a broad variety of cannabis products to adult customers when online sales begin.”

Supply agreements with authorized Health Canada producers were achieved through a competitive process, resulting in a range of cannabis products and size formats among the categories of dried flower, cannabis oil and cannabis seeds. In the coming months, the OCS will continue to hold competitive product calls to expand its selection of available cannabis products and to be responsive to the preferences of Ontario customers. The OCS is also working to finalize supply agreements with cannabis accessory suppliers to ensure a diverse selection of accessories is also available for customers.

"With Ontario expected to be the largest recreational cannabis market in the nation, this supply agreement is a major milestone for our Company," said John Fowler, CEO of Supreme Cannabis. "We anticipate the full 7ACRES lineup will be placed in the premium category by the OCS validating the quality of our product offerings and our strategy of catering to discerning cannabis enthusiasts who, by the Ontario government's own estimation, will drive the majority of recreational sales."

"We are thrilled that the OCS has selected such an extensive range of adult-use products from our carefully curated and thoughtfully developed portfolio of brands," said Jakob Ripshtein, Chief Commercial Officer at Aphria. "Adult-use consumers will have the opportunity to discover our brands through OCS's online platform starting on October 17 including Solei, sustainably grown in Ontario, our premium B.C.-bud from Broken Coast, and several other Ontario-grown brands soon to be revealed. Each of our brands have been carefully developed to meet the needs and interests of distinct consumer segments."

"We are proud of the strong relationships we have built with provinces across the country. Our supply agreements with the Ontario Cannabis Stores are evidence of our commitment to working closely with them to deliver the products consumers want to buy, including those under the Aurora brand, San Raphael '71 and AltaVie." said Terry Booth, Aurora CEO. "With a population of more than 14 million people, Ontario is the largest adult consumer use market in Canada. Being a supplier to this market through the Aurora and MedReleaf brands provides us with a strong presence that positions us well to generate growth and build further brand recognition. We look forward to making our high-quality products available to the Ontario market, and to initiating a meaningful educational conversation about our products and the appropriate use of them."

"This is great news for our team here in Ontario," said Beleave CEO, Andrew Wnek. "OCS has been diligent and thorough in their application and approval processes. Our selection as an official supplier is further evidence of our best-in-class products and responsible leadership. This adds to our extensive distribution network which already includes British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan."

“We are thrilled that CannTrust has been selected as a trusted retail partner by the Ontario Cannabis Store, as a supplier of quality, standardized cannabis. The product variety in the agreement confirm that CannTrust is a key player in the recreational cannabis market. Our top-of-the-line greenhouse facility, processing operations and distribution network, all based in Ontario, ideally position us to grow rapidly to meet the demand within the province and across the country,” says Brad Rogers, President, CannTrust.

“Today marks another significant milestone for us as we’ve officially ensured Ontarians will have access to a huge variety of Tweed-branded products,” said Mark Zekulin, President & Co-CEO, Canopy Growth. “With our private retail plan being rolled out in other provinces, our attention in Ontario will now turn to bricks and mortar shops in this key market.”

“Emblem’s supply agreement with Ontario signals continued momentum for our business. Our partnership with the OCS opens up an important distribution channel to get Emblem’s brands and products to market in Canada’s most-populated province,” said Nick Dean, CEO, Emblem. “Emblem has a steadfast focus on building a business for the long-term through product innovation, developing strong brands and enhanced distribution. We anticipate Ontario could constitute up to 40 per cent of total cannabis sales in Canada, making it an incredibly important market for Emblem. As a proud Ontario-based licensed producer, we are committed to providing Ontario’s cannabis consumers with a trusted source of high-quality cannabis products and brands that will meet their needs now and into the future.”

“We are pleased to initially offer our award-winning smoke-free cannabis products online to the Ontario adult-use market on October 17th,” said James McMillan, HEXO’s Vice-President of Strategic Business Development. “We look forward to continue working with the Ontario government as they move towards privatization and to offer our full range of products both online and in-stores in spring 2019.”

"This is an exciting time for Hiku Brands as we begin to realize the full value of our vision as Canada's first vertically cannabis company with state-of-the-art grow facilities in British Columbia, a series of well established, curated brands, significant supply agreements, as we grow our retail footprint" said Alan Gertner, Chief Executive Officer of Hiku Brands. Further, Mr. Gertner added, "With a growing number of retail stores, the potential of Tokyo Smoke cannabis stores in Ontario, our increased grow facility space, additional supply agreements across the country, and strategic investments in Canada and beyond, Hiku is poised to be a leader in the adult-use cannabis sector."

"This is an exciting milestone for our team and positions us for success in the coming months as we ready to launch our unique strains and technology in Canada, says Ben Ward, CEO, Maricann. "We’re proud to call Ontario home with our world class purpose built facility in Langton, Ontario, and we look forward to creating more growth and opportunity now with the OCS."

"We are proud to have the confidence of the OCRC and the opportunity to offer Ontarians a range of exceptional quality cannabis products," says Tim Emberg, Organigram Vice President of Sales and Commercial Operations. "All of our products are developed with an outstanding customer experience in mind. We are excited to work with provincial regulators across the country, now including the Province of Ontario, to offer that experience to as many Canadians as possible."

“We are thrilled to partner with the OCS as a reliable supplier for safe and secure cannabis to Ontario,” said Adine Fabiani-Carter, Chief Marketing Officer at High Park. “Our goal is to deliver on the high expectations that Ontarians have of us by cultivating and distributing a portfolio of world-class adult-use brands and products that will lead the market in quality, excellence and craftsmanship.”

"We are absolutely thrilled to be among the select group of licensed producers to partner with the OCS to service the ground-breaking launch of Canada's largest adult-use cannabis market," said Jay Wilgar, CEO of both Newstrike and Up Cannabis. "This agreement marks yet another significant achievement for Newstrike and Up, bolstering our strategy to position Up Cannabis as a premier adult-use brand."

"The agreement with OCS is a significant milestone and we are confident that cannabis consumers in Ontario will appreciate our high-quality branded products,” said Barry Fishman, CEO of VIVO Cannabis. “We are extremely excited to introduce the craft-grown dried flower that will go into our Fireside whole bud and pre-rolled products, and to offer our elegantly designed wellness-focused Lumina cannabis oils.”

Ontario Cannabis Store