What “licensed retailer” means, province by province
By WheresTheWeedAt editorial · · Based on official government sources
People often say “licensed dispensary” as if it means the same thing everywhere in Canada. It doesn’t. The federal government licenses the businesses that grow and process cannabis, but the provinces and territories decide who may sell it to the public. The result is 13 different retail systems with their own names for a legal store.
Health Canada sums it up: legal cannabis products are sold only through retailers authorized by provincial and territorial governments. (The one exception is medical cannabis bought directly from a federally licensed seller by someone authorized by a health care professional.) Here is what “authorized” looks like in each region.
Private stores licensed by a regulator
In these provinces and territories, private businesses run stores under a provincial licence or permit:
- [Ontario](/ontario): under the Cannabis Control Act, 2017, only an “authorized cannabis retailer” may sell cannabis. That means the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation (which runs the government’s online store) or the holder of a retail store authorization. The AGCO licenses retail operators and store managers and authorizes each store location. Ontario law also makes it an offence to buy cannabis from anyone else.
- [Alberta](/alberta): AGLC licenses private retail stores, and stores need an AGLC endorsement to sell online. Licensed online sellers must show their licence numbers and store addresses on their website.
- [Saskatchewan](/saskatchewan): SLGA issues retail store permits to privately owned stores, and the municipality or First Nation must approve a location before SLGA issues the permit. Permitted stores must run a physical store and may also sell online within the province.
- [Manitoba](/manitoba): a hybrid model. The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba licenses private retail stores, which sell cannabis supplied by Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries.
- [Yukon](/yukon) and [Nunavut](/nunavut): licensed private retailers sell in person and online.
Government-run stores only
In five places, the government retailer is the only legal seller, in stores and online:
- [Quebec](/quebec): the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC).
- [New Brunswick](/new-brunswick): Cannabis NB.
- [Nova Scotia](/nova-scotia): the NSLC, which sells cannabis in some of its stores.
- [Prince Edward Island](/prince-edward-island): the PEI Cannabis Management Corporation.
- [Northwest Territories](/northwest-territories): the NWT Liquor and Cannabis Commission and its approved vendors.
Mixed systems
- [British Columbia](/british-columbia): legal cannabis is sold by the government’s BC Cannabis Stores and by privately owned stores licensed or authorized by the LCRB. The B.C. government says licensed retailers may display a government decal.
- [Newfoundland and Labrador](/newfoundland-and-labrador): licensed private stores sell in person, and online sales are through the government’s NLC.
What every legal retailer has in common
Whatever the model, a legal retailer is one the province or territory has approved for that location. That approval is tied to a place, which is why the official lists are lists of addresses. It also means a store that is legal in one province can’t sell to you in another: B.C., for example, says its legal stores may ship only within B.C., and Alberta says legal online sellers ship only within Alberta.
The same applies when you travel. Visitors follow the rules of the province or territory they are in, so the kind of store you use at home may not exist where you are going. Our travel guide covers the rest.
Age limits follow the same local pattern. Health Canada lists the minimum age as 19 in most of Canada, 18 in Alberta and 21 in Quebec. Our guide to legal age and possession limits has the details.
What “licensed” does not mean
A licence is permission to operate under the rules. It is not a quality rating, a review or an endorsement by the government, and it isn’t one from us either. We list every store on an official list the same way, and any paid placement on this site is labelled “Sponsored”. See how we verify listings for how we use the official lists.
In our directory
Sources
Facts in this post were taken from these official sources, checked October 26, 2026.
- Health Canada: Authorized cannabis retailers in the provinces and territories
- Ontario: Cannabis Control Act, 2017
- AGCO: Cannabis (licensing, authorizations and map of stores)
- Government of B.C.: Buy legal cannabis
- Government of B.C.: Identify or report illegal cannabis sales or production
- AGLC: New investigation unit tackles illegal online cannabis
- SLGA: Cannabis retail store permitting
- Government of Manitoba: Retail cannabis in Manitoba
Related guides
How to buy cannabis legally in Canada
A plain-language overview of where adults can legally buy non-medical cannabis in each province and territory, and how to avoid illegal sellers.
Cannabis legal age and possession limits by province and territory
The minimum age and public possession limit for non-medical cannabis in every Canadian province and territory, with how equivalents to dried cannabis work.
Buying cannabis legally in Yukon, the NWT and Nunavut
Cannabis rules in Canada's three territories: legal age 19, who sells cannabis, where you can use it, and how remote ordering works.
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