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https://ottawacitizen.com/business/local-business/whats-in-a-name-family-friendly-byward-market-moniker-should-not-be-on-pot-shop-says-ottawa-markets
Don't allow the use of 'ByWard Market' in the name of a new legal pot shop at 129 York Street, Ottawa Markets has asked Ontario's Alcohol and Gaming Commission
Joanne Laucius
Updated: March 12, 2019
129 York Street in the Byward Market has been rented for a new legal pot shop to open April 1. Julie Oliver / Postmedia
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Don’t allow the use of ‘ByWard Market’ in the name of a new legal pot shop at 129 York Street, the corporation that manages Ottawa’s venerable market has asked the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
In a submission to the AGCO, Ottawa Markets suggests ByWard Market Cannabis should use the brand name Fire & Flower, the Alberta-based chain that has been advising the shop owners as they prepare to open April 1.
“We think we speak on behalf of many Lowertown stakeholders who are supporting us in our effort to bring families back to the ByWard Market,” said the submission from Ottawa Markets, the arm’s length municipal services corporation that runs the ByWard and Parkdale markets.
“It could easily be construed that a newcomer selling cannabis and using ‘ByWard Market’ would be appropriating a 200-year-old, family-oriented agricultural brand that is very dear to ourselves and all other family-oriented businesses and residents in Lowertown.”
The councillor for the area, Mathieu Fleury, said he had no problem with the location but does not favour privately run stores. In his comment to the AGCO, Fleury said that he would have preferred the stores be run by the LCBO, as proposed by the previous Liberal provincial government.
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That would give the city more control over locations, limit negative impacts and ensure one point of contact if problems arise, Fleury said in his comment.
“My main concern is the potential for clustering of cannabis dispensaries. There are a lot of unknowns as to how this private system with no city oversight will pan out.”
Dispensary owners should be required to consult with the community and business owners, he said, and the shop owner should be required to share with the community the contact information for the manager of store operations.
Cannabis stores should be restricted in their opening hours, and the AGCO should focus on spreading out the stores, wrote Fleury.
The provincial guideline is that cannabis stores be 150 metres away from schools. Municipalities are prohibited from imposing targeted zoning on cannabis shops to control their number and location. The stores can be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The city of Ottawa also submitted a comment to the AGCO, in line with a directive from council to object to stores that are close to other cannabis shops or near public uses similar to schools, such recreation centres, community centres, libraries or parks.
Staff said there were no concerns about the York Street shop location with respect to any of those issues, said a statement attributed to David Wise, program manager, zoning & intensification.
The deadline for submissions to the AGCO was last Wednesday.
The province will allow only 25 cannabis stores to open this spring. The right to apply for the first coveted wave of licences was determined by lottery.
Business partners Michael Patterson and his brother-in-law Eric Lavoie were among the winners. They sought advice from Fire & Flower, a chain with seven cannabis shops and three stores selling accessories in Alberta and two stores and a distribution facility in Saskatchewan.
Fire & Flower had already rented the storefront at 129 York, formerly the site of the SmoqueShack barbecue restaurant, as part of its plans to expand into Ontario.
The ByWard Market’s family-oriented business tradition was one reason Patterson and Lavoie were attracted to the ByWard Market in the first place, said Patterson.
“We certainly did not expect the concern over our chosen name, given that an American multinational hospitality company has used it for one of their hotels — Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market.”
Ottawa Markets executive director Jeff Darwin said elementary school students from out of town will start to arrive by the busloads in May. “We hope some bus driver doesn’t stop in front of 129 York and think he’s in front of the ByWard Market.”
Fire & Flower already has a very effective brand, said Darwin, who questions whether the owners needed to “switch it up” by using the ByWard Market name.
“It’s a desirable location for retail cannabis. And we want to be good neighbours,” he said. “But we get that it’s a long shot. They don’t have to pay any attention to our concerns and suggestions.”
While Fire & Flower is acting as a consultant and adviser, it does not own the store, although the York Street shop will be using the Fire & Flower logo and branding, said Patterson. ByWard Market Cannabis seemed a logical and factually accurate name, he said.
The AGCO received nine comments about ByWard Market Cannabis, according to spokesperson Ray Kahnert.
“Generally, the comments related to that neighbour location, concern about illicit activities, and not mixing with other Market types of businesses,” he said in an email on Friday.
The licence applicant has five days to respond to the comments.
Under the expression of interest in the lottery process, the businesses that were selected to apply for a licence must use the same legal name and applicant type in the expression of interest application and the retail operator licence application.
Having applied for the license, the business submitted an application for retail store authorization using the name ByWard Market Cannabis, said Kahnert.
The registrar can consider matters of public interest including protecting public health and safety; protecting youth and restricting their access to cannabis and preventing illicit activities in relation to cannabis.
The Lowertown Community Association was set to discuss the issue at a meeting on Monday.
Patterson said he and Lavoie are taking concerns about the shop’s name to heart and are working on a solution with the AGCO and Fire & Flower.
“At the end of the day we just want the community to accept us. Work with them, not against them. The first step of that is listening to the community. If avoiding the term ‘ByWard Market’ is important to them, then it is important to us, too.”
Don't allow the use of 'ByWard Market' in the name of a new legal pot shop at 129 York Street, Ottawa Markets has asked Ontario's Alcohol and Gaming Commission
Joanne Laucius
Updated: March 12, 2019
129 York Street in the Byward Market has been rented for a new legal pot shop to open April 1. Julie Oliver / Postmedia
Share Adjust Comment Print
Don’t allow the use of ‘ByWard Market’ in the name of a new legal pot shop at 129 York Street, the corporation that manages Ottawa’s venerable market has asked the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
In a submission to the AGCO, Ottawa Markets suggests ByWard Market Cannabis should use the brand name Fire & Flower, the Alberta-based chain that has been advising the shop owners as they prepare to open April 1.
“We think we speak on behalf of many Lowertown stakeholders who are supporting us in our effort to bring families back to the ByWard Market,” said the submission from Ottawa Markets, the arm’s length municipal services corporation that runs the ByWard and Parkdale markets.
“It could easily be construed that a newcomer selling cannabis and using ‘ByWard Market’ would be appropriating a 200-year-old, family-oriented agricultural brand that is very dear to ourselves and all other family-oriented businesses and residents in Lowertown.”
The councillor for the area, Mathieu Fleury, said he had no problem with the location but does not favour privately run stores. In his comment to the AGCO, Fleury said that he would have preferred the stores be run by the LCBO, as proposed by the previous Liberal provincial government.
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet,
but your article continues below.
That would give the city more control over locations, limit negative impacts and ensure one point of contact if problems arise, Fleury said in his comment.
“My main concern is the potential for clustering of cannabis dispensaries. There are a lot of unknowns as to how this private system with no city oversight will pan out.”
Dispensary owners should be required to consult with the community and business owners, he said, and the shop owner should be required to share with the community the contact information for the manager of store operations.
Cannabis stores should be restricted in their opening hours, and the AGCO should focus on spreading out the stores, wrote Fleury.
The provincial guideline is that cannabis stores be 150 metres away from schools. Municipalities are prohibited from imposing targeted zoning on cannabis shops to control their number and location. The stores can be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The city of Ottawa also submitted a comment to the AGCO, in line with a directive from council to object to stores that are close to other cannabis shops or near public uses similar to schools, such recreation centres, community centres, libraries or parks.
Staff said there were no concerns about the York Street shop location with respect to any of those issues, said a statement attributed to David Wise, program manager, zoning & intensification.
The deadline for submissions to the AGCO was last Wednesday.
The province will allow only 25 cannabis stores to open this spring. The right to apply for the first coveted wave of licences was determined by lottery.
Business partners Michael Patterson and his brother-in-law Eric Lavoie were among the winners. They sought advice from Fire & Flower, a chain with seven cannabis shops and three stores selling accessories in Alberta and two stores and a distribution facility in Saskatchewan.
Fire & Flower had already rented the storefront at 129 York, formerly the site of the SmoqueShack barbecue restaurant, as part of its plans to expand into Ontario.
The ByWard Market’s family-oriented business tradition was one reason Patterson and Lavoie were attracted to the ByWard Market in the first place, said Patterson.
“We certainly did not expect the concern over our chosen name, given that an American multinational hospitality company has used it for one of their hotels — Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market.”
Ottawa Markets executive director Jeff Darwin said elementary school students from out of town will start to arrive by the busloads in May. “We hope some bus driver doesn’t stop in front of 129 York and think he’s in front of the ByWard Market.”
Fire & Flower already has a very effective brand, said Darwin, who questions whether the owners needed to “switch it up” by using the ByWard Market name.
“It’s a desirable location for retail cannabis. And we want to be good neighbours,” he said. “But we get that it’s a long shot. They don’t have to pay any attention to our concerns and suggestions.”
While Fire & Flower is acting as a consultant and adviser, it does not own the store, although the York Street shop will be using the Fire & Flower logo and branding, said Patterson. ByWard Market Cannabis seemed a logical and factually accurate name, he said.
The AGCO received nine comments about ByWard Market Cannabis, according to spokesperson Ray Kahnert.
“Generally, the comments related to that neighbour location, concern about illicit activities, and not mixing with other Market types of businesses,” he said in an email on Friday.
The licence applicant has five days to respond to the comments.
Under the expression of interest in the lottery process, the businesses that were selected to apply for a licence must use the same legal name and applicant type in the expression of interest application and the retail operator licence application.
Having applied for the license, the business submitted an application for retail store authorization using the name ByWard Market Cannabis, said Kahnert.
The registrar can consider matters of public interest including protecting public health and safety; protecting youth and restricting their access to cannabis and preventing illicit activities in relation to cannabis.
The Lowertown Community Association was set to discuss the issue at a meeting on Monday.
Patterson said he and Lavoie are taking concerns about the shop’s name to heart and are working on a solution with the AGCO and Fire & Flower.
“At the end of the day we just want the community to accept us. Work with them, not against them. The first step of that is listening to the community. If avoiding the term ‘ByWard Market’ is important to them, then it is important to us, too.”
