Moorefield resident, business owner hope to open pot shop in village
MOOREFIELD – Plans for a new cannabis store in Mapleton likely won’t be coming to fruition.
Local resident and realtor Josh McPhee and Keji’s Convenience owner Curtis Bateman are hoping to work together to open the store together, and McPhee pitched the idea to council during a June 9 meeting.
But retail cannabis stores are prohibited in Mapleton Township, so council would need to revisit that decision in order for the store to be allowed, which doesn’t look likely.
McPhee said they’ve been discussing the plan for a couple of weeks, and would like to set up shop in the empty space beside Keji’s Convenience, where Pretty Penny used to be. Bateman owns the space.
McPhee said he and Bateman would initially not need any additional staff, but would hope to create local employment opportunities in the future as the business grows.
The proposed hours would be 10am to 8pm, and the target market would be “adults aged 19 and over who chose to purchase cannabis products responsibly,” McPhee stated.
The closest school to the proposed store is about 525 metres away, he noted.
McPhee was hopeful council might reconsider their decision to prohibit retail cannabis sales.
Mapleton council received his delegation for information, and did not bring forward any motion to go back on opting out of allowing cannabis sales in the township.
The decision was initially made in January 2019, when residents filled the council chambers to witness the unanimous vote, which some applauded.
At that time, council noted that opting out doesn’t mean cannabis stores won’t be allowed at a future date.
But if they opt in, there would be no turning back.
Mayor Gregg Davidson recently told the Community News, “Personally, I don’t believe it’s the right time to have cannabis come in to our community.
“We have cannabis shops in Minto and Wellington North, and down in Woolwich and Listowel. There’s cannabis shops all around our community.”
He added, “There’s other retail stores that we desperately need in our community that we don’t have right now,” such as restaurants, a bubble tea shop, or a new home for a pharmacy that is looking to expand.
