After announcing that their previous location at Toronto’s Polson Pier had told organizers that they were no longer welcome, the Karma Cup is set to announce a new venue tomorrow morning.
On yesterday’s instalment of Expert Joints LIVE! on Pot TV, host Craig Ex spoke with event staff Sarah Sunday and Tracy Curley who said the exact location will be revealed Saturday at 7 a.m., Toronto time.
Sunday said the new location will be smaller than their original plan, with around 40 booths, but hopes that space will work out for everyone.
“I’m sure there’s some people that won’t be enthused with what’s going on, so some natural attraction will occur,” she said.
The organizers thanked vendors and attendees for their patience as they try to solve the venue issues with the hard work of the small team they have available after their first choice was pulled away from them
“A couple days ago, my production people got an email from he buildings department telling them that they were denying our tent permits,” Sunday said. “They told us that it was because they had found to through other, publicly available information, that we were going to be dispensing marijuana in the tents, and that was an illegal thing and it’s not zoned for dispensing marijuana.
“We tried to work with them and satisfy them but it was pretty obvious they were unsatisfiable.”
Soon afterwards, the city visited the landlord who was threatened with fines and property forfeiture
“Very similarly to how dispensaries were attacked her win toronto through municipal lisinging and standards and bylaw, thats’ how the Karma Cup was hit as well,” said Curley. “When you’ve got a waterfront property in the downtown core and they threaten to take your property — he makes millions of dollars in the summer, just as a parking lot — so he was in a horrible position.”
The landlord also kept the event’s substantial deposit on the space rental, which Sunday put at $60,000.
Advanced ticket holders and vendors with an email on file can expect to receive an email when the venue location is made public, tomorrow.
The rest of the Expert Joints broadcast brought on guests like Chad Jackett, from the Cannabis Growers of Canada, who spoke on the importance of community events like the Karma Cup to show the best of craft cannabis, small farmers and community dispensaries.
Jackett also spoke on his two entries in this year’s competition (Lindsay OG in the Flower Indica category and Blue Splash under Shatter Hybrid) and announced that his Squamish, B.C. dispensary, Grass Roots Medicinal. had received a business license from the city.
Scott and Steve from Skunk & Panda Shatter Shack also appeared, sharing their Karma Cup excitement and welcomed all out to Vape on the Lake tonight for a meetup and tasting of their craft cannabis.