Canada posted record cannabis sales for the second consecutive month in April, with adult-use marijuana retailers in British Columbia and Ontario leading the way.
April’s online and in-store sales of regulated cannabis amounted to 309.7 million Canadian dollars ($251 million), 3.8% higher than March’s CA$298.3 million, according to Statistics Canada’s latest figures.
British Columbia led provinces with a gain of CA$5.4 million, or 13%, over the previous month. Sales in Vancouver, the biggest city in B.C., grew a whopping 30% month–on-month to CA$16.7 million in April, a major improvement for a city which has struggled to convert consumer spending to the regulated market.
Ontario came in second place in terms of monthly sales growth, adding CA$4.8 million over March, despite being locked-down to fight the COVID-19 pandemic for part of April.
Ontario’s sales grew 4.6% over the previous month to CA$108.2 million in April.
New store openings in Toronto and Ottawa helped boost sales in the two cities to CA$41.6 million and CA$10.4 million, respectively.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba were the only two other provinces to post meaningful sales increases.
Sales in Saskatchewan grew 5.3% for the month to CA$13.4 million in April, whereas Manitoba’s online and in-store marijuana sales rose to CA$11.5 million, a 2.7% increase.
The only province to post a meaningful decline was New Brunswick, which sold CA$140,000 less worth of cannabis in April compared to March, a 2.1% retraction.
No sales data was available for Yukon, Prince Edward Island, or Nunavut.
Sales in some of Canada’s biggest cities in April, compared to March, were as follows:
- Vancouver: CA$16.7 million (+30%)
- Ottawa: CA$10.4 million (+7.3%)
- Toronto: CA$41.6 million (+6.2%)
- Quebec City: CA$5.9 million (+2.7%)
- Winnipeg: CA$8.2 million (+1.6%)
- Calgary: CA$16 million (0%)
- Montréal: CA$24.7 million (0%)
- Edmonton: CA$19.5 million (0%)
- Gatineau: CA$1.4 million (-2.6%)
Sales by province in April, compared to March, totaled:
- British Columbia: CA$47 million (+13%)
- Saskatchewan: CA$13.4 million (+5.3%)
- Ontario: CA$108.2 million (+4.6%)
- Manitoba: CA$11.5 million (+2.7%)
- Newfoundland and Labrador: CA$4.6 million (0%)
- Nova Scotia: CA$7.8 million (0%)
- Quebec: CA$48.8 million (0%)
- Alberta: CA$58.9 million (0%)
- Northwest Territories: CA$623,000 (0%)
- New Brunswick: CA$6.5 million (-2.1%)
The data bureau’s monthly cannabis sales data for are available here.
