O'Leary mayor disappointed cannabis store won't open on time

The mayor of O'Leary says he's hearing from residents who are disappointed the town's cannabis retail store won't be open for business when marijuana becomes legal in Canada on Oct. 17.

The province's three other retail stores in Charlottetown, Summerside and Montague are scheduled to open Oct. 17.

But delays in the construction of the O'Leary store mean it won't open until sometime in November, said mayor Eric Gavin.

"I'm a little disappointed that it's not done. Everybody else is opening on the 17th of October. It would have been awful nice for us to be open at the same time."

Gavin said the parking lot still needs to be paved, and the walls and lighting inside the building need to be finished. He said about eight or nine employees will work at the store when it's up and running.

He said he expects the contractor to be on the hook for costs incurred by not having the store completed on time.

He said he's not sure when the store will open, but is hoping it will be within the first week of November.

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With files from Jessica Doria-Brown