Two pot companies are officially eyeing up Fort Saskatchewan once marijuana becomes legal in Canada, according to the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission website.

Namaste is looking to establish themselves in the downtown core along 99th Avenue and Canna Cabana is listed along Town Crest Road in Town Crest Centre. Having the official application in front of the AGLC means these two companies are serious since it requires more than $4,000 for the licence fee, application fee and background check deposit.

These two recreational pot companies could be just the tip of an iceberg for local interest.

“I’ve been fielding most of the requests coming in about retail stores and I have a record of more than 30 individuals who have contacted me. Those range from those looking to be independent owners such as small mom and pop shops to the very sophisticated, bigger cannabis producers,” said the city’s economic development officer, Mike Erickson.

Even if the companies get the green light from the AGLC, they’ll still need to meet the city’s land-use bylaws and obtain a development permit, which are not currently being approved until recreational pot is legalized by the feds. Technically, no renovations on existing stores or construction of new retail bays can take place until the permit is approved. Some local realtors previously told The Record they have lease agreements ready to go once legalization is approved.

“For those who are leasing a blank bay, they’ll need a few months to construct and build that facility until they can start selling cannabis. I suspect we will see a staggered approach to the opening of these places,” added Erickson.

But Mayor Gale Katchur isn’t so sure about the slow turn around. She projects a landslide of openings. Across the Edmonton region, there are more than 80 applications interested in opening, including the two in the Fort and one in Sherwood Park.

“Depending on what the province allows, I think you’ll see a lot of them come forward and try to open up. Just look at how many applications there are in general. Everybody is looking at it, from people who are unemployed to people who are already in the business,” Katchur said, adding she knows of another business expressing retail interests.

Currently, the Fort has 35,000 square feet consumed by liquor stores and the city estimates the popularity of recreational pot shops could be about half of that amount. But like in any business, it will come down to survival of the fittest.

“I expect there will be a big surge initially and then the market will sort itself out. The ones who are the better business owners or those who can find that niche, they’ll continue on but we will see a couple failures in the first couple of the years,” noted Erickson.

“It comes down to who can provide the best pricing and if they can service the clients who need it,” added Katchur. “I’m really hoping that we don’t have as many recreational cannabis users as they think there are but it’s just like the liquor stores — as long as people go out and support it, there isn’t much we can do about it.”

The date for legalizing pot is dependent on how fast the bill can pass through the Senate. Recent estimates pegs that to August or September.