Which Edmonton wards have the most cannabis stores?
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Which Edmonton wards have the most cannabis stores?

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O-day’min in the core (26), Karhiio in the southeast (24), Anirniq in the northwest (23), and papastew in south-central Edmonton (14)

Joshua Vera is the president and CEO of Elevate cannabis stores in Edmonton. Taken on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. Joshua Vera is the president and CEO of Elevate cannabis stores in Edmonton. Taken on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. Photo by Greg Southam /Postmedia

Data from the City of Edmonton shows that a handful of wards house the bulk of the city’s cannabis stores.

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A December list of retail cannabis stores identified more than half of the 162 retail licences for those businesses were located in four of the city’s 12 wards: O-day’min in the core (26), Karhiio in the southeast (24), Anirniq in the northwest (23), and papastew in south-central Edmonton (14).

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Joshua Vera, president and CEO of Elevate, has stores in three of those wards, including locations Downtown, next to the Ice District, and Dominion Industrial area along 118 Avenue and 145 Street, as well as a Cannabis Pit Stop on Gateway Boulevard near 61 Avenue.

While the concentration in certain areas may seem intentional, his experience since legalization saw retailers, especially independent owners, struggling and scrambling to find suitable storefronts throughout the city.

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“It was just a challenge trying to find any location that wasn’t already occupied or locked up by one of the bigger conglomerates,” he said.

As for the appeal of Downtown, he said many hopeful owners were likely drawn by population density and foot traffic through the area. But that’s not to say a store in the core is guaranteed success.

“Even though Downtown is so densely populated, there’s not a lot of parking and not everybody is out and about during the winter months, so that’s going to impact your ability to do sales,” he said, adding that demographics also play a key role. “You can have all the people in the world around you, but if none of them consume cannabis, it’s not going to do very well.”

Curtis Martel, president of Mountain Standard Cannabis, has four locations in the city including two in the core neighbourhoods of Queen Mary Park and Spruce Avenue, as well as stores in Balwin and Killarney.

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The latter two are part of Ward tastawiyiniwak, one of the less popular areas for cannabis stores with only six licences identified by the city.

Like Vera, Martel agreed that no one location is a boon for retailers, and catering to demographics is more important.

However, he also said even areas with fewer stores pose challenges.

“Even the low concentration areas have too high a concentration,” he said. “You can walk to another store from almost anywhere in Edmonton.”

The Balwin location is not as busy as he’d hoped after a year in business, and other stores opening nearby have corresponded to a drop in sales, Martel said.

“Now I think everybody is at the point where they’re waiting it out — hoping the market grows and the competition dwindles.”

  1. There are 178 active licences for retail cannabis stores in Edmonton, and 761 in Alberta according to a database maintained by the regulator, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC)

    ‘Tides are shifting’: Alberta cannabis retailers consider cap on new shops

  2. Running Room founder John Stanton speaks at a Running Room store in Vancouver on Feb. 4, 2012. Stanton said the chain's Callingwood South location in Edmonton is closing at the end of 2022.

    Running Room to move west Edmonton store after 27-year run

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