The tiny number of cannabis stores on Ontario "has resulted in half of the expected market in Canada simply not existing,'' Canopy CEO Mark Zekulin said Thursday.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario says expressions of interest can be submitted online Monday through noon Wednesday, with the draw to take place on Friday and results to be posted within 24 hours.

It is shaping up to be quite an April Fools' Day next year, Scott Thompson says: April 1, 2019, is when Ontario's new rules for stand-alone retail cannabis stores take effect.