The provincial government said in a Nov. 26 press release that it has introduced legislation to amend the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act to create a new licence category to ensure delivery companies aren’t taking regulated products like alcohol and cannabis to minors.

The change would shift the responsibility for safe service and delivery of these products to the company delivering them rather than the restaurant, lounge or store they are purchased from

“With continued growth in the delivery industry, particularly during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we want to make sure that liquor and cannabis products are delivered safely and responsibly,” said Manitoba Justice Minister Cliff Cullen. “With some children not in school and regular after-school activities disrupted, it is even more critical to ensure that age-restricted products like cannabis and liquor do not fall into the hands of young people.”

Delta 9 Cannabis announced Nov. 24 that it is now offering click-and-collect and same-day delivery for products purchased from their Thompson store

Customers can browse the available stock at the store and either reserve it for pickup or arrange for it to be brought to their home, thus minimizing contact between shoppers and store employees, reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19.

“As Canada deals with the second wave of COVID-19, contactless shopping options and access to cannabis products while enabling social distancing become an essential part of our business offering,” said Delta 9 CEO John Arbuthnot in a press release. “As we have rolled out increased online services, we have noticed a major increase in the usage of our click-and-collect and same-day delivery programs with online sales up 265 per cent over last year and with customer basket sizes much larger than in-store. If these consumer trends continue in a post-COVID world Delta 9 will be prepared as a market leader with innovative online services.”

Delta 9’s online platform enables orders to be ready in two hours and provides email and text order updates from the chosen store.

“We custom architected and developed a made in Manitoba solution to meet the current demands of our customers,” said Delta 9 chief technology officer Matthew Sodomsky. “Building upon what Shopify provides out of the box today, we were able to create a seamless omnichannel experience for both online and in-store shopping.” 

Meta Cannabis Supply, which also operates a store in Thompson, offers the MetaXpress pickup service, enabling customers to order their cannabis online and pick it up from the store. Customers are notified by text when their order is ready or if the product is out of stock ore there are other issues with the order.

Proposed changes to the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act would also enable the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA) of Manitoba to hire employees under the age of 18 to work as undercover agents trying to buy products  from licence-holding businesses to monitor their compliance with age restrictions. If the legislation passes, companies that provide liquor samples at retail liquor stores would no longer be required to register with the LGCA either.