The provincial Opposition wants to know why a local company was denied a retail cannabis license despite the fact that its proposal was ranked better by NLC than the winning proposal which went to Loblaws.

PC member Tony Wakeham put the question to Finance Minister Tom Osborne in the House of Assembly after gaining the information through an Access to Information Request.

Minister Osborne says the matter was reviewed by the Citizen’s Representative who found that NLC made the appropriate decision.

He says a Tier One cannabis retailer does not allow minors in the store, and there were safety concerns if an adult went into the store and left a child in a vehicle. He says in areas where there was only a Tier One, NLC agreed to look at a Tier Four model, and Loblaws was chosen.