Community pushes back against cannabis store set to open near daycare in Toronto

Toronto seems to have more cannabis shops than almost any other kind of business at this point, and another new store set to open in The Beaches is being met with pushback from the community because the location is close to a daycare.

More than 600 people have signed a petition calling for Buzzed Buds' planned opening at 1562 Queen St. East to be halted, with signers pledging to boycott the business if it does open.

"As a concerned parent, I am not happy that the corporation Buzzed Buds Cannabis decided to open next to a Day Care," wrote the creator of the petition. "The area is already over-saturated with cannabis stores and we can't have any more in the area! We do not need children at a daycare exposed to a cannabis store that is right next door!"

The petition encourages locals to submit a complaint to the AGCO to prevent the store from being approved.

Buzzed Buds, which already has locations in Pickering, Ottawa, Uxbridge, and Woodview, was founded by Daniel Barnes and his wife Rachel. The couple is only in their mid-twenties and said it hasn't been easy "trying to compete in an extremely challenging industry."

Barnes told blogTO he's aware that cannabis poses a significant change to many communities, but he said customer education and community reinvestment are two of the principles to which they're most committed.

He said Buzzed Buds will work hard to ensure they add positive value to the community.

"We have been in communication with the daycare owner and neighboring businesses and hope to maintain an open dialogue to ensure community concerns are being heard and acted upon," he said.

"We have gone to great lengths to ensure our business adheres to the regulations set forth by the AGCO, however the responsibility to ensure community members are comfortable with our operations lies squarely on us. We look forward to demonstrating to the community our responsible approach to retailing through concrete actions."

The new location is scheduled to open its doors later this summer.