Licensing and registration activities

The AGCO’s Operations Division is responsible for reviewing and processing new, renewal and amendment applications for licences, permits, authorizations and registrations for the sectors regulated by the AGCO. Eligibility Officers, Senior Eligibility Officers and Managers review applications to assess an applicant’s eligibility to hold a particular licence, permit, authorization or registration. When necessary, they enlist the services of additional AGCO departments, such as Compliance Services and the OPP Investigation and Enforcement Bureau, to facilitate further review or investigation of an application.

As part of the AGCO’s risk-based licensing approach, the AGCO considers various factors in reviewing applications. These factors include an applicant’s type of business, location, compliance history and experience. Some applicants pose a greater risk to public safety, public interest and/or non-compliance with the law. Additionally, when reviewing an application, past conduct, financial responsibility, experience, training and honesty and integrity of an applicant are considered. If the Registrar believes that the issuance of a licence or registration is not in the public interest, the Registrar may issue a Notice of Proposal (NOP) to review or refuse to the applicant or licensee, who may request a hearing on the NOP before the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT).

If the Registrar believes that a licensee or registrant may require additional assistance or support to remain compliant with the applicable acts and/or the Registrar’s Standards, additional conditions may be attached to their licence, permit, authorization or registration. Licensing and Registration (L&R) performs risk-based assessments during the lifetime of all licences, permits, authorizations and registrations to ensure potential risks posed by a licensee or establishment are considered and evaluated.

Highlights for licensing and registration activities in 2022–23 include the continued processing of high volumes of cannabis retail operators and retail store authorizations as the regulated cannabis market continued to evolve at a fast pace. In addition, several net new registrations were issued to internet gaming operators and gaming related suppliers to support the establishment of a competitive and open internet gaming market in Ontario.

The following tables outline the number of licences and registrations issued during the fiscal year. It is important to note that the following tables represent applications that have been approved and issued, not all applications submitted.

Table 11—Liquor licences issued, renewed and amended

 

Table 12—Gaming registrations issued, renewed and amended

Note: The 2021-22 Annual Report included AGCO Subsidiary (iGO) in this table, however, the subsidiary is not a registrant of the AGCO. As a result, iGO has been removed from this year’s Annual Report. 

 

Table 13—Charitable lottery licences issued, renewed and amended

Note: The Social Gaming Licence is not issued under the charitable component of the Criminal Code. All wagers under this licence are paid out to winners and this is not a charitable fundraising opportunity.

Note: Charitable Gaming Eligibility was removed from this table. It is a required step within the broader Charitable Gaming licensing process, not a licence on its own. It’s inclusion in this table would result in a double count of licenses issued, renewed or amended.

 

Table 14—Cannabis licences and authorizations issued, renewed and amended

 

Table 15—Horse racing licences issued, renewed and amended

 

Table 16—Response to Public Notices—Alcohol and cannabis