Cannabis POS in Canada: a province-by-province checklist
A Canadian address on a vendor’s website does not tell you whether it can run your store. Check your province’s checkout settings, distributor files and reporting workflow separately.
PURP makes cannabis retail software. This is our buying framework, not legal advice or an independent vendor ranking. Confirm current requirements with your provincial regulator.
Bring your province, supplier file and required report so your PURP setup can follow the way your store works.
Start with your province's rules
Provinces and territories set their retail rules. Health Canada’s provincial and territorial directory lists legal ages and links to local authorities. The age and general sales-tax rates below are a starting reference; they do not establish that a POS supports a market.
In the demo, select a sample store in your province. Check the age prompt and the tax lines on a receipt, including a discounted item and a return. If you have stores in two provinces, switch between them and repeat the check.
| Province or territory | Minimum age and sales tax |
|---|---|
| Alberta | 18 · GST 5% |
| British Columbia | 19 · GST 5% + PST 7% |
| Saskatchewan | 19 · GST 5% + PST 6% |
| Manitoba | 19 · GST 5% + PST 7% |
| Ontario | 19 · HST 13% |
| Quebec | 21 · GST 5% + QST 9.975% |
| New Brunswick | 19 · HST 15% |
| Nova Scotia | 19 · HST 14% |
| Prince Edward Island | 19 · HST 15% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 19 · HST 15% |
| Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut | 19 · GST 5% |
Tax figures are from the CRA’s GST/HST and provincial sales-tax table. Check the current rate and applicable provincial treatment before launch. PURP derives its Canadian tax and minimum-age settings from the store location; that setup is separate from provincial reporting support.
Check dried-cannabis equivalencies
The Cannabis Act, section 8, sets a public-possession limit of 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent for adults, subject to authorized exceptions. Confirm the transaction rules for your store with your provincial regulator; the federal possession rule alone is not a complete retail operating policy.
For a hypothetical demo, build a mixed basket whose stored dried-equivalent values total 29 grams, then add enough to exceed 30. Inspect the value used for each product and the message staff receive. Also try a cannabis item with no equivalency value.
PURP enforces a 30 gram dried-equivalent checkout limit and blocks completion when a cannabis product is missing the equivalency needed to check it.
Get the report’s name and a sample export
Have the vendor name the report or integration your store needs and produce a sample from test data. Compare its opening stock, receipts, sales, adjustments and closing stock with the underlying records. Find out who reviews exceptions and who submits the final file; an export and an accepted filing are different milestones.
PURP prepares Alberta’s AGLC monthly compliance report and imports AGLC and OCS purchasing documents. Shape each store’s setup around its provincial reporting requirements, with sample exports reviewed before launch. Purchasing imports and regulator filing remain distinct workflows.
Know where your data lives
Ask where sales, inventory and customer records are hosted, which providers process them and who can access them for support. Request a sample export before signing: could you identify products, customers and transactions without the vendor’s screens?
Before onboarding, confirm your business's data-location requirements, staff access and export options with PURP. The Privacy Policy explains how this website handles information.
Plan your province’s setup
How does PURP adapt to my province?
PURP uses your store location for tax and minimum-age settings. Local setup brings your purchasing documents, reporting workflow, payments and operating requirements together. Alberta stores also have the AGLC monthly report workflow.
Does PURP work in French?
PURP is in English today.
Can PURP import my distributor's documents?
PURP imports AGLC allocation and delivery documents and OCS order spreadsheets into purchase orders. Bring an anonymized sample of your actual file to confirm its format and the handling of unmatched rows.
Compare PURP with your own workflows
Use the cannabis POS buyer’s guide to plan a demo, and read the Alberta guide if your stores are in Alberta. Explore the register and management tools, or talk to PURP.