The AGCO and the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) have introduced a data platform to help reduce your regulatory burden by both simplifying your cannabis reporting requirements and improving its accuracy. All authorized retailers in Ontario are required to use an in-store POS system that is fully integrated with the POS Data Reporting Platform. 

How It Works  

The POS Data Reporting Platform automatically extracts, standardizes, and validates the data that you already house in your system. This is done via an Application Programming Interface (API) connection between your POS system and the POS Data Platform. The OCS processes the extracted data and shares it with the AGCO and notifies you of any errors. 

It eliminates the need for monthly preparation and submission of reports and improves the accuracy of the data submitted to better fulfil your provincial and federally-mandated regulatory reporting requirements.

If they have been onboarded with OCS, your POS provider will set up your system to automatically pull your required provincial and federal regulatory reporting data directly from your in-store POS system. Once it is processed by the OCS, the data required for provincial and regulatory reporting will be available for federal regulatory reporting. The OCS populates and completes reports required by Statistics Canada and Health Canada.

Integration of your POS system with the POS Data Platform enables you to meet your provincial and federal regulatory reporting requirements.

A list of POS providers that are fully integrated with the POS Data Reporting Platform can be found here, For more information about the POS Data Reporting Platform email OntarioCannabisDataReporting@ocs.ca

Ongoing Data Quality

Once added to the platform, you may receive data reconciliation error notifications. A list of data reconciliation error messages is available from the OCS here. 
It is important that you promptly address any error messages you receive to maintain data accuracy and compliance. If you have any questions about specific error messages, contact your POS Provider.
The AGCO validates incoming data to ensure retailers’ compliance with their regulatory obligations. If our validation efforts identify any issues, we may directly reach out to you for resolution.

Closing an authorized store

If you are a CROL holder permanently closing an authorized store, you must notify the AGCO of your intent to close. Additionally, you must ensure that your store’s closing inventory levels are reported as zero in the data provided to the AGCO before the store can be officially closed. For detailed regulatory and operational steps required prior to closing, please refer to the "Request to Cancel a Licence and/or Authorization" section of this guide.

Please refer to the Cannabis Seed-to-Sale Data Entry Guidelines for instructions on entering data into a POS system section of AGCO Cannabis Seed-to-Sale Data Entry Guidelines: e-Learning Module as noted in the Helpful Resources section of this guide.

Overview

As part of the AGCO’s overall process to ensure compliance with the Registrar’s Standards, laws and regulations, all licensees are required to comply with the minimum notification obligations to the Registrar as outlined in the AGCO’s “Regulatory Reporting Requirements – Cannabis” (Notification Matrix). They include (but are not limited to) reporting incidences of lost or stolen product, changes to store layout, and failure of surveillance systems. Standard 1.6 requires operators to comply with these notification requirements, including meeting the required timeframes for submission.

Standard 8.1 requirement 10 took effect June 30th, 2022, and requires operators of authorized cannabis retail stores to track agreements and acceptance of items, benefits or service (in accordance with Standard 6.5) using the AGCO Cannabis Regulatory Reporting Template for Registrar’s Standard 8.1.10. These records must be made available to the AGCO upon request (as with any other records under Standard 8.1).

Q: What is AGCO’s approved method of destruction?

A: There is no approved method, but your method of choice must comply with Registrar's Standard 3.0.

Q: If I want to use my inventory as a display, can I do that through an inventory adjustment?

A: No, all displays must be purchased at a cost greater than $0.00.

Q: Can I use an item that I have set aside for destruction as display?

A: No, all displays must be purchased as a sale at a price greater than $0.00.

Q: Can I take products out of the inventory at $0.00 for my personal use?

A: No, all cannabis products must be purchased as a sale, at a price greater than $0.00. Cannabis Products provided to any personnel free of charge is in violation of Standard 6.3: “Licensees may not provide cannabis or cannabis accessories free of charge or provide any other thing or benefit, as an inducement for the purchase of cannabis or a cannabis accessory.”

Q: If we receive a return from a customer but the product is lost before being put back into inventory, what is the correct way to enter the data?

A: Follow these three steps:

• Process the return following the instructions in the Return from Customer section in the Cannabis Seed-to-Sale Data Entry Guidelines.
• Remove the product from inventory as Lost/Theft following the instructions in the Lost/Theft section in the Cannabis Seed-to-Sale Data Entry Guidelines course.
• Notify the AGCO of the incident within 1 business day.

For more information about the POS Data Reporting Platform, email OntarioCannabisDataReporting@ocs.ca

For more information about your Ontario Cannabis Data Reporting requirements, email cannabisreporting@agco.ca  

• AGCO Cannabis Seed-to-Sale Data Entry Guidelines: e-Learning Module (Licence Key: 8444-6196-1617-3306) - This new AGCO data entry e-Learning module will help retailers understand how to enter retail data into their POS system and maintain accurate, consistent records for a variety of data entry types.
• Ontario Cannabis Store Wholesale Learn – This website provides Authorized Retailers in Ontario with information on how to work with the OCS.

The AGCO and OCS are committed to ensuring the safe, responsible sale of cannabis in Ontario and will continue to adjust processes to reflect sustainable, scalable solutions.