Photo: The Canadian Press
Vic Fedeli and Caroline Mulroney make the announcement on Monday.

TORONTO — Recreational cannabis will be sold online in Ontario when legalized this fall and in private retail stores across the province early next year, the government announced Monday, reversing the previous administration’s plan to distribute cannabis through publicly owned outlets.

The Progressive Conservatives, who took power at the end of June, said public safety was a top concern as they came up with the system, but critics said the new model could pose enforcement and regulation challenges.

A government agency called the Ontario Cannabis Store will sell pot online once it is legalized on Oct. 17, and a “tightly regulated” private retail model will be in place by April 1, 2019. The OCS will also be the wholesaler to private retail stores, the government said.

“We will be ready to put in place a safe, legal system for cannabis retail that will protect consumers,” said Attorney General Caroline Mulroney. “We will be ready to work alongside municipalities, law enforcement and Indigenous communities to combat organized crime and the illegal market.”

The legal age to buy recreational cannabis will remain 19 and consumers will only be allowed to use legalized pot in a private residence, including the outdoor space of the home. The maximum amount of recreational marijuana an adult can possess will be 30 grams.

Mulroney stressed that the government will “spare no expense” to protect children from marijuana when it’s legalized.

“Our message to kids, and all Ontarians, is clear,” she said. “Despite the upcoming legalization of recreational cannabis use for responsible adults, it is still a drug that poses risks to health and safety.”

Finance Minister Vic Fedeli said municipalities can opt out of hosting pot shops within their boundaries and stressed that the government will consult with them before moving forward with cannabis in private retail stores next spring.