New name approved for pot shop in ByWard Market

A neighbourly gesture from a legal pot shop in the city’s ByWard Market means it will change its name after a request that it not use the iconic moniker of the group of outdoor vendors.

The pot shop, set to open on April 1 at 129 York St., will no longer be called ByWard Market Cannabis, but will instead operate as Fire & Flower York Street Cannabis.

Opposition to the originally proposed name came from Ottawa Markets, the arm’s length municipal services corporation that runs the ByWard and Parkdale markets.

In a submission to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Ottawa Markets argued that “It could easily be construed that a newcomer selling cannabis and using ‘ByWard Market’ would be appropriating a 200-year-old, family-oriented agricultural brand that is very dear to ourselves and all other family-oriented businesses and residents in Lowertown.”

The group suggested that the shop could use the brand name Fire & Flower, the Alberta-based chain that has been advising the shop owners as they prepare to open.

The province will only allow 25 cannabis stores to open this spring. The right to apply for the first coveted wave of licences was determined by a lottery.

Business partners Michael Patterson and his brother-in-law Eric Lavoie were among those winners. They sought advice from Fire & Flower, a chain cannabis shops in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Patterson contacted Ottawa Markets executive director Jeff Darwin to work on a solution.

The owners were willing to investigate whether they could submit a new name to the AGCO that wouldn’t cause neighbours concern, but the rules and deadlines were pretty strict.

Under the expression of interest in the lottery process, the businesses that were selected to apply for a licence must use the same legal name and applicant type in the expression of interest application and the retail operator licence application.

Enter Coun. Mathieu Fleury.

“Mat Fleury had the appropriate connections at AGCO and (Patterson) got in touch with them. They said they would absolutely accept his application to change the name,” Darwin said.

Patterson said he couldn’t have resolved the issued without Fleury’s help.

“Everyone was very friendly and reasonable in our discussions and worked together to quickly resolve the issue,” Patterson said, adding that he’s more concerned with working with the neighbourhood than sticking to the old name.

It’s a gesture that Darwin appreciates.

“He didn’t need to, he’s legal, he’s legit, there’s no obligation for him to put any weight or merit on the concerns of the community, but he did,” Darwin said.

“He’s made an effort to be a good neighbour and we wish him every success in his business.”

With files from Joanne Laucius

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