RE:John Fowler's INstagram post.....
I think Ontario will have the most variety of product, by far. They will use their buying power to push some prices down so low cost producers will have a huge advantage here (FIRE is assumed to be one, despite limited data). They will roll this out much like they did with craft brewers, making shelf space for smaller players and not limiting themselves or customers in selection. I think they understand the boutique nature of high quality bud and there will be shelf space kind of like Vintages section for wine. They will have wide variety of medium cheaper stuff (the Jackson Triggs of weed) to highest quality (again, FIRE and some Broken Coast from APH). I dont think they will sign long term deals though. I do believe 3 years will be the max because they will want to renegotiate prices and products on their shelves as the market evolves. If product doesnt move...you will lose your shelf space.
FIRE will have shelf space 100% but i do not think anyone will get a favourable deal like Hydropothecary did. There's a kind of nativism in Quebec that you wont find here in Ontario (I expected this and own THCX for that reason alone).
For the online OCS platform, I would not be surprised to see just about every producer get some product on there. There is much less cost to display product photos than to display beautiful bud on shelves and product sales wont matter to OCS online platform as far as any "shelf space" is concerned. I can see this being a format like Amazon where the order is made on this platform, sent to the producer who then packages and sends their product (with rules for fast delivery guarentees, a deal for discounted delivery from Canada Post negotiated by OCS, and % of sales going to OCS). It will act as more of interface between consumer and producer. They wont have a giant weed warehouse waiting for you to order something they have already bought (And if they do, its a terrible business plan).
This is sort of how i see it rolling out. But i guess time will tell!