The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, A pr il 23 ,2 02 0 | 10 Your A-Z for COVID-19. You can access all of our COVID-19 related coverage here: waterloochronicle.ca/ coronavirus As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, we know you have questions.We're hard at work to answer those questions. There are plenty of uncertainties right now--our hope is that our reporting will help youmake informed decisions based on clear, convenient information. togetherlocal Gift Certificate Sale Helpsupport thebusinesses inyour neighbourhoodwith theStarMetrolandMedia #togetherlocalGiftCertificateSale. We've partnered with some of your favourite local businesses to bring you a gift certificate sale, featuring savings of 25 - 50%. So buy some gift certificates, save some cash and help a local business too. New items added eachweek Go to togetherlocal.ca to show your support. New certificates added daily People will soon be able to pick up cannabis curb- side from local licensed re- tailers like Bud & Sally in uptown Waterloo. The Alcohol and Gam- ing Commission of Ontario has reversed its previous decision to ban cannabis re- tailers from operating, meaning that individual stores can now provide curbside pickup and deliv- ery options. "To continue the fight against the illegal cannabis market and support canna- bis retail store operators and legal recreational can- nabis consumers, the Gov- ernment of Ontario has is- sued an Emergency Order to temporarily allow autho- rized cannabis retail stores to offer delivery and curb- side pickup," the AGCO stated in a media release. "These changes are ef- fective immediately and will last for the duration of the period of declared pro- vincial emergency, with the possibility of extension if the government's Emergen- cy Order on business clo- sures is extended." On March 17, Ontario Premier Doug Ford de- clared a state of emergency in Ontario, because of CO- VID-19, and ordered the clo- sure of non-essential busi- nesses. Authorized canna- bis retail stores were initial- ly deemed essential businesses. On April 3, a re- vised list was issued, fur- ther reducing the number of essential businesses, and cannabis retail stores were among those that had been ordered to close as of April 4. John Radostits, who just opened Waterloo's Bud & Sally in mid-March, had questioned what appeared to be a double standard, as delivery of alcohol with takeout food had been OK'd by the province and the on- line Ontario Cannabis Store continued to provide delivery of cannabis. "Yes good news from the AGCO," he said Wednesday, in an email. "We are cur- rently working on our plan to open with the curbside pickup ASAP. "All customers will have to visit our website budand- sally.com and order from our full catalogue and pay in advance for all cannabis and accessories. The next step will be to come to the storefront sidewalk (32 King St. S.) and we will bring the order out to them. We are currently updating our website and should be ready within the next day or so." Radostits said he'll also be looking at the logistics of adding a delivery option, moving forward. David Clement, Toronto- based North American af- fairs manager for the Con- sumer Choice Center (CCC), said the only issue with the ACGO's announce- ment is that the allowance is temporary. "Prohibiting retailers from offering delivery was always a silly and misguid- ed policy," said Clement. "Once everything has re- turned to normal, our hope is that retailers will contin- ue to be allowed to offer de- livery options for their con- sumers. Allowing for retail- ers to deliver will help the legal market compete with the black market, which is something that everyone should be on board with." Regulations and re- quirements for cannabis delivery can be found on the AGCO website. CURBSIDE CANNABIS A LEGAL OPTION AGAIN Cannabis products will again be available locally - for pick-up on the sidewalk. Steve Russell BILL JACKSON bjackson@torstar.ca NEWS PROVINCE REVERSES DECISION ON WEED RETAILERS, ALLOWING THEM TO STAY IN BUSINESS TO CONTINUE FIGHT AGAINST BLACK MARKET