Since 1 May 2026, Ontario cannabis retail stores have been permitted to open at 7:00am and stay open until 11:00pm, and curbside pickup may also run from 7:00am. Delivery hours did not change. Cannabis may still only be delivered between 9:00am and 11:00pm. That distinction is the part most coverage of the change got wrong, and it is the part that matters if you are ordering rather than walking in. This post sets out exactly what the AGCO changed, what it left alone, and what none of it affects.
What changed
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced the extension in a notice titled "Cannabis Retail Store Hours Extended: Opening Permitted from 7:00 am." The permitted window for retail store operation moved from 9:00am to 11:00pm, to 7:00am to 11:00pm. The closing time did not move.
Curbside pickup moved with the store. In the AGCO's wording, curbside pickup "may also begin at 7:00 am and operate until 11:00 pm." So a customer who orders online and collects at the store can do so from 7:00am.
Opening earlier is optional. The AGCO was explicit that whether to use the new hours is a business decision for each retailer, not a requirement. Two stores on the same street may keep different hours, and both are compliant.
What did not change
Delivery. The AGCO's own notice states it plainly: "Cannabis may only be delivered between 9:00 am and 11:00 pm." The AGCO's standing guidance on delivery and curbside pickup carries the same rule: "Cannabis may only be delivered during a time between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m."
This is the detail people get wrong, and the confusion is understandable. The change did touch delivery operations, just not delivery itself. A delivery driver may now collect product from the store at 7:00am. They may not hand it to a customer before 9:00am.
| Activity | Before 1 May 2026 | From 1 May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Store open to walk-in customers | 9:00am to 11:00pm | 7:00am to 11:00pm |
| Curbside pickup | 9:00am to 11:00pm | 7:00am to 11:00pm |
| Picking up product from the store for delivery | From 9:00am | From 7:00am |
| Delivery to a customer | 9:00am to 11:00pm | 9:00am to 11:00pm, unchanged |
How it came about
Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General posted the proposed amendment for consultation between 9 and 24 April 2026. The stated rationale was to "reduce regulatory burden by giving retailers greater flexibility in setting their operating hours" and to support "increased profitability by enabling stores to open two hours earlier each day." The ministry also framed it as helping authorised retailers compete with unlicensed operators, and as creating efficiencies for AGCO inspectors.
The proposal aligned cannabis retail hours with those applying to alcohol retail in the province. Delivery pickup hours were part of the proposal from the outset; delivery hours themselves were not.
The sector's response was mixed. Jennawae Cavion of Calyx and Trichomes commented that "expanding hours is always welcome. They're expanding in the wrong direction," questioning the demand for 7:00am openings. Mike Dunn of 1922 Cannabis Retail called it a "good first move" while arguing that delivery hours should be aligned with retail hours, noting that 11 percent of delivery orders at his stores arrive within the first business hour.
That last figure is the practical argument for closing the gap. Whether it will be closed is not something anyone can currently say.
How Ontario compares
The change makes Ontario the earliest permitted opening time in the country.
| Province | Earliest permitted opening |
|---|---|
| Ontario | 7:00am |
| Manitoba and Saskatchewan | 8:00am |
| Most other provinces | 9:00am or later |
| Quebec | 10:00am |
Everything else that did not change
The hours amendment was narrow. None of the following moved with it.
- Who may deliver. Delivery can only be carried out by the Retail Store Authorization holder or their employees. Third-party delivery is not permitted in Ontario.
- Age verification on delivery. Deliveries may only be made to a person at least 19 years old, and where the person appears to be under 25, identification must be requested and the deliverer must be satisfied the person is at least 19. The rules are unpacked in ID rules for weed delivery in Ontario.
- Where delivery can go. Only to a residence or private place in Ontario. A hotel room counts as a private place.
- Record keeping. Records of deliveries must be maintained.
- Curbside location. A curbside transaction must be completed by the authorisation holder or an employee, in an area adjacent to the store that is covered by the store's surveillance system.
- The purchase limit. Customers cannot buy more than 30 grams of dried cannabis, or the equivalent, at one time.
- The retail seal. The provincial retail seal must still be displayed prominently on a retailer's website and visible from the store entrance.
The wider legal framework for delivery in this province is set out in is weed delivery legal in Ontario, and the checks that distinguish an authorised store from an unlicensed one are in how to tell a legal Toronto cannabis store from an illegal one.
What this means in practice
Three consequences follow directly.
- An early order can be prepared but not delivered. If you place a delivery order at 7:30am, the store may pick and pack it immediately. It cannot reach you until 9:00am.
- Pickup is the faster route before 9:00am. Between 7:00am and 9:00am, curbside pickup and walking in are available where a store has chosen to open. Delivery is not.
- Hours vary by store. Because opening early is optional, the only reliable source for any given store's hours is that store.
Ours are on the visit page, alongside our address at 811 Dundas St W. What is on the shelf is listed under all products.
The short version
- From 1 May 2026, Ontario cannabis stores may open 7:00am to 11:00pm. The closing time did not change.
- Curbside pickup may also run from 7:00am to 11:00pm.
- Delivery hours did not change and remain 9:00am to 11:00pm.
- Delivery staff may collect product from the store at 7:00am but cannot hand it over before 9:00am.
- Opening early is optional, so hours vary between stores.
- Ontario now has the earliest permitted opening time in Canada.
- Nothing changed about who may deliver, age verification, delivery destinations, the 30 gram limit or the retail seal.
Sources
- AGCO, Cannabis Retail Store Hours Extended: Opening Permitted from 7:00 am: agco.ca
- AGCO, Delivery and Curbside Pick-up: agco.ca
- AGCO, Frequently Asked Questions: Retail Store Operation: agco.ca
- StratCann, Ontario cannabis stores can now open as early as 7 am, 1 May 2026: stratcann.com
- StratCann, Ontario considering allowing cannabis stores to open two hours earlier, 9 April 2026: stratcann.com