1.1 Licensees must ensure that all employees act in accordance with the law and demonstrate honesty and integrity.

Requirements - At a minimum:

1. licensees must obtain criminal background checks from employees as part of the hiring process
2. licensees must ensure that all employees understand their obligations with respect to applicable laws, regulations, standards, and policies
3. licensees must ensure that every holder of a cannabis retail manager licence employed to work in the cannabis retail store, every individual employed to work in the cannabis retail store or deliver cannabis sold through the cannabis retail store, and every individual employed to provide security services in relation to the operation of the cannabis retail store has completed any required training, including Board-approved training, prior to their first scheduled shift. [Amended: March 2022]
4. licensees must ensure that all current employees complete any required training, including Board-approved training, within 60 days of it being approved and available.

1.2 Licensed Retail Operators must exercise oversight of their retail operations. 

1.3 Licensed Retail Operators (if also performing the duties of a Retail Manager) or licensed Retail Managers may only be accountable for up to 5 authorized stores. [Amended: March 2021]

1.4 A copy of the Retail Manager Licence must be kept at the store, and made available to AGCO inspectors or investigators upon request.

1.5 The retail store’s operating name must be the same as the name set out on the retail store authorization.

1.6 Licensees must notify the Registrar in accordance with the Notification Requirements. [Amended: March 2019]

1.7 A Licensed Retail Operator must submit the following changes to the Registrar within a reasonable time:

1. if a person ceases to be a director or officer of a Licensed Retail Operator that is a corporation or a corporation that effectively controls the business
2. if a person ceases to be a partner of a partnership in which the Licensed Retail Operator is also a partner.

1.8 A Licensed Retail Operator must submit, within a reasonable time, the following changes to the Registrar for approval:

1. a person becomes a director or officer of a Licensed Retail Operator that is a corporation or a corporation that effectively controls the business
2. a person becomes a partner of a partnership in which the Licensed Retail Operator is also a partner
3. a person or partnership acquires a beneficial interest in the Licensed Retail Operator’s business, including holding or controlling shares of a holder that is a corporation or in a corporation that effectively controls the business
4. a person or a partnership other than the Licensed Retail Operator becomes entitled to any of the profits from the sale of cannabis or cannabis accessories, or liable for any obligations incurred from the sale of cannabis or cannabis accessories, at any cannabis retail store for which the Licensed Retail Operator holds a retail store authorization.

1.9 Licensees must comply with the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020

2.1 A secure, high-resolution surveillance system must be in place at all times.

Requirements - At a minimum:

1. cameras and lighting must be positioned to clearly capture 24 hour coverage of the interior of the premises and immediately outside the premises, including the:
   1. Entrances and exits, including where IDs are checked
   2. Pick up area(s) for cannabis purchased online or by telephone
   3. Point-of-sale area(s)
   4. Receiving area(s)
   5. Sales floor area(s)
   6. Cannabis storage area(s).
2. video recordings must be made and retained for a minimum of 30 days and be made available to the AGCO upon request
3. the Licensee must ensure that the surveillance system is functioning properly at all times.
4. the Licensee must ensure that the distribution of cannabis in an area immediately adjacent to the store (i.e., curbside pick-up) is clearly captured by the premises’ surveillance system. [Amended: March 2022]

2.2 All cannabis must be stored securely at all times and be accessible only by staff from receipt of product to point-of-sale, destruction, or return to the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation (OCRC) or the Licensed Producer.

2.3 Any cannabis that is outdated, recalled, damaged, deteriorated, misbranded, adulterated, returned, or otherwise ineligible to be sold must be kept separate from other cannabis.

2.4 All points of access to the premises must be secure and protected against unauthorized access.

2.5 Licensees must ensure that cannabis and accessories are not visible from the exterior of the premises.

2.6 Licensees may use sensory display containers to allow patrons to see and smell cannabis.  Sensory display containers must be locked and tamper-proof to prevent patrons from touching the cannabis, and must not be able to be removed from the premises.

2.7 The cannabis used in the sensory display containers must be purchased by the Licensed Retail Operator from the retail store’s inventory through the point-of-sale system.

3.1 Cannabis that is ineligible to be sold and ineligible for return to the OCRC must be destroyed or rendered unusable through a method that:

1. complies with all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations, including environmental protection legislation applicable to the location where it is being destroyed

2. does not result in any individual being exposed to cannabis smoke or cannabis vapour.

3.2 If carried out by the Licensee, the entire cannabis destruction process must be captured on the premises’ surveillance system, and must be overseen by a Licensed Manager or Licensed Retail Operator.

3.3 Destruction of cannabis that is ineligible for sale, except cannabis that is contained within a vapour product, must be performed on a monthly basis, at a minimum.

3.4 [Removed: May 2023] 

3.5 Destruction of cannabis that is ineligible for sale and is contained within a vapour product must be performed as soon as it is practicable to do so.

4.1 In the event of a product recall, Licensees must work with the OCRC to ensure that all unsold product subject to the recall is transported securely back to the OCRC, and must ensure that records are kept of all product returned. [Amended: March 2019]

4.2 If a Licensed Retail Operator holds more than one Retail Store Authorization, cannabis may be transferred between their retail stores.  Licensees must ensure that the transportation of cannabis is secure, and must maintain records of all movements of cannabis between stores. At each store, the Licensed Retail Manager or Licensed Retail Operator must supervise the transfer process and ensure the impacted product is documented as an inter-store transfer in the point-of-sale systems of both stores. [Amended: May 2023] 

4.3 Licensees must ensure that the transportation of cannabis for delivery is secure. [New: March 2022]

5.1 Licensees must take reasonable measures to ensure that patrons are not purchasing cannabis or cannabis accessories on behalf of individuals under the age of 19.

5.2 Licensees must take reasonable measures to ensure that individuals accessing their website, app or other similar online platform for the purpose of the cannabis retail store are at least 19 years of age. [New: March 2022]

6.1 Licensees must have signage clearly identifying their business on the exterior of the authorized store.

6.2 Advertising may not:

1. appeal to or target persons under 19 years of age
2. promote cannabis or cannabis accessories in a way that is false, misleading, or deceptive
3. suggest or imply, directly, indirectly, or by use of endorsements of testimonials, that consumption of cannabis is associated with success, enjoyment of an activity, fulfillment of a goal, or the resolution of a problem
4. be associated with medicine, health, or pharmaceuticals
5. depict or suggest the illegal sale of cannabis
6. associate consumption of cannabis with driving a motorized vehicle, or with any activity that requires care and skill or has elements of danger [Amended: March 2019]

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. [Amended: March 2019]

6.4 Licensees may not accept or request material inducements from licensed producers, their representatives, or suppliers of cannabis accessories. [Amended: June 2022]

Guidance: inducements are items, benefits, payments, or services that are offered or given with the purpose to promote or increase the sale of a particular brand or product by the licensee or their employees.

6.5 Licensees and their representatives may not, either directly or indirectly, accept or enter into any agreements for any item, benefit or service with a licensed producer or their representatives. The following exemptions apply [New: June 2022]:  

1. a licensee and its representatives may accept items of nominal value,   
2. a licensee and its representatives may accept items, benefits or services exclusively for the provision of training or education related to cannabis, 
3. a licensee may enter into an agreement to sell its data for business intelligence purposes,
4. where a licensed producer has an ownership interest in the licensee, the licensee may enter into financing and lease agreements, 
5. a licensee may enter into a franchise agreement with a licensed producer or its affiliate,
6. a licensee may enter into an agreement for a store brand cannabis product. 

6.6 Licensees and their representatives may not enter into any agreement pursuant to Standard 6.5 that [New: June 2022]:

1. Defines the amount of product from the licensed producer or its affiliates that must be offered for sale at the retail store;
2. Requires a defined amount of display space in the retail store to be dedicated to product from the licensed producer or its affiliates;
3. Provides merchandising, marketing or promotional activities to the licensed producer or its affiliates;
4. Restricts the ability of the licensed producer or its affiliates to sell its product at other retail stores, or the ability of the licensee to sell products from other licensed producers or their affiliates.

7.1 ​Licensees must ensure that information related to the responsible use of cannabis is made available to patrons.

Requirements - At a minimum:

1. licensees must make the Health Canada Consumer Information – Cannabis document available to patrons
2. any other information prescribed by the Registrar.

8.1 Licensees must ensure that the following records are maintained, retained a minimum of three (3) years, or longer as may be required by other laws and regulations, and made available to the AGCO in accordance with the Notification Requirements or upon request [Amended: June 2022]:

1. employee records, including names, addresses, primary job responsibilities, shift schedules, training records, CPIC records check results, and dates of employment
2. records for all cannabis in the authorized store, including cannabis purchased directly from the OCRC and cannabis transferred from another authorized retail store operated by the Licensed Operator.  At a minimum, these records must contain information regarding:
   1. [Removed: May 2023]   
   2. [Removed: May 2023] 
   3. each sale transaction at the authorized store, online or by telephone, traceable to the employee level
   4. any cannabis that has been destroyed.  Records of any cannabis destroyed must include, at a minimum:
      1. [Removed: May 2023] 
      2. [Removed: May 2023] 
      3. [Removed: May 2023]  
      4. a certificate of destruction, if destruction is carried out by a third party
      5. [Removed: May 2023]  
      6. [Removed: May 2023] 
      7. the reason for the destruction of the cannabis product
      8. the method of destruction.
3. [Removed: May 2023] 
4. records that may be required to support a cannabis product recall
5. records demonstrating that the Licensee is complying with sections 7 and 8 of the Cannabis Control Act, 2017, which prohibit sales to persons under 19 years of age and persons who are or appear to be intoxicated.
6. [Removed: May 2023] 
7. [Removed: May 2023]  
8. Records of the name and address of purchaser and residential address where any cannabis is delivered. [Amended: March 2022]
9. Records of the specific authorized store(s) a licensed Retail Manager is accountable for. [New: March 2021]
10. When entering into any agreement or accepting any item, benefit or service pursuant to Standard 6.5, a licensee shall maintain the following records [New: June 2022]: 
    1. Copy of the complete agreement 
    2. Description of the item, benefit or service 
    3. Date of receipt of item, benefit or service 
    4. Name of licensed producer and representative and 
    5. Fair market value of the item, benefit or service 

8.2 Licensees must complete full physical inventory counts of all cannabis on a monthly basis at a minimum or upon the request of AGCO.

All adjustments to inventory records made after conducting a physical inventory count must be documented in the point-of-sale system. [Amended: May 2023] 

8.3 Licensees must ensure that there are reasonable safeguards around data security and protection of data integrity, including point-of-sales systems and e-commerce systems.

8.4 Point-of-sales systems and e-commerce systems must be certified by a recognized industry certification body or organization (e.g. PCI, ISO) and have logging capability for the purposes of monitoring all system access and system changes.

8.5 Licensees must have a point-of-sale system in place which, at minimum, must capture records of all cannabis and cannabis transactions in the authorized store, and capture those records required to enable the licensee to participate in any national cannabis tracking system established under section 81 of the federal Cannabis Act. [New: May 2023]  

8.6 The Licensee’s point-of-sale system must be configured and integrated with the automated POS Data Reporting Platform. [New: May 2023] 

[Removed: March 2022]