The exclusive wholesale cannabis distributor in Canada’s most populous province is once again searching for leadership.

The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), which operates OCS.ca, the province’s only direct-to-consumer legal recreational cannabis e-commerce platform, has announced it has embarked on a nationwide search for the role of president and chief executive officer.

The OCS tapped Thomas Haig as the interim president and CEO in September 2020. That appointment was made following the departure of Cal Bricker, who began serving as the president and CEO of the crown corporation in September 2019. Bicker replaced Patrick Ford, who retired after helping launch the OCS and operated at the helm of the organization for a year.

David Lobo will now take over in the interim, as the search for permanent leadership takes place.

In a release, the OCS thanked Haig for his leadership and noted that his interim contract will end March 23. Haig previously held roles with Zellers, Giant Tiger and Danier, among others.

“Thomas leveraged his 50 years of retail experience to help the OCS further scale up its operations. This included working with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to ramp up the opening of legal cannabis retail stores across the province, with almost 500 currently open and many more slated to open in the months ahead,” the release states.

Lobo has been with the OCS since its inception in 2017 and will be transitioning over from his current role as chief merchandising officer.

“[Lobos’s] experience both within the OCS and across the Ontario Public Service will help the Board ensure a smooth transition towards new leadership once a comprehensive search is complete,” the release states.

Lobo will begin his interim leadership position on March 24.