What Happened to Red Roots' Stores?

Let’s be real. People have been asking: what the hell happened to our four Red Roots Trading Company stores?

The answer isn’t simple, but it’s important. And it matters not just for us, but for every Indigenous-owned business in this country.

Who We Are

Red Roots is not a conventional business. We are a sovereign Indigenous trading post. Our people have traded for centuries — goods, medicines, knowledge — long before Canada was even an idea. Today, instead of bartering, we accept e-Transfer. But the principle is the same: Indigenous people trading on Indigenous land.

We are Indigenous-owned and operated. We source our cannabis directly from Indigenous growers and Indigenous reserves. We refuse to buy into Ontario’s licensing system, because that system forces you to buy from government-controlled growers who, bluntly, produce weak, low-quality cannabis that no community asked for.

On top of that, we don't agree with the Ontario weight limits on purchases. We're all adults here. If you can head into LCBO and buy a dozen 1.75 litre bottles of vodka, you should sure as hell be able to order a couple ounces of flower or an ounce of hash too. Finally, we believe you should be able to SEE and SMELL what you're buying in store, and see it weighed out in front of you so there's no question you got what you're expecting.

Our loyalty is to our people, our growers, and our customers. Not to a government system that was built without us, and against us.

Our Rights Are Enshrined in Law

This isn’t just a moral argument, it’s a constitutional one.

Section 25 of the Canadian Constitution: Aboriginal and treaty rights cannot be overridden.

Section 35: Aboriginal and treaty rights are recognized and affirmed.

These protections were authored by Chief Del Riley, a giant of our history who carried the voice of generations into the very text of Canada’s Constitution.

And let’s be crystal clear: Ottawa is unceded Algonquin Territory.

No treaties were ever signed. No land was ever surrendered. Which means, under the Constitution and the Royal Proclamation of 1763, Indigenous people have every right to trade freely and unobstructed on this land.

The Raids

But that didn’t stop the local Ottawa Police.

In April, they raided our flagship Beechwood store.

Then they raided our Clarence Street/Byward Market and Russell Road stores.

Finally, they intimidated our last landlord at Bank Street into illegally tearing up our lease under threat of heavy fines.

Across these three raids, the Ottawa Police stole more than $150,000 worth of high-quality, lab-tested cannabis products. And after all of that? They didn’t lay a single charge. Not one.

Why? Because they’re scared. They know if they take us to court, we’ll drag this fight into the highest levels of Canadian law with the best Indigenous rights lawyers in the country. And if we win — when we win — it sets a legal precedent for every aspiring and existing Indigenous business owner in Canada. That’s the nightmare they’re trying to avoid.

So instead, they try to bury us quietly. No charges. Just intimidation. Just theft. Just silence.

We’re Still Here

But we are not going anywhere.

When our stores were forced shut, we moved fast. We opened a warehouse on reserve and built a delivery service to keep serving our community.

Same-day delivery of cannabis and tobacco/nicotine products within 30km of downtown Ottawa, to Nepean, Rockland, Gatineau, and more.

Nationwide mail-orders, discreetly shipped, usually arriving in under 3 days.

Our CannSell-certified budtenders are on call 24/7/365 to answer any questions and help you choose what’s right for you. Contact us anytime at info@redrootstrading.ca or (613) 296-3441.

And while delivery is strong, we’re not stopping there. We are working tirelessly to open new Red Roots locations. Because we miss you… the conversations, the familiar faces, the community. We’re coming back. We promise.

Our Message

The raids were meant to scare us. To erase us. To remind us that the system doesn’t want Indigenous sovereignty to be real.

But here’s the truth: We are STILL here. We are STRONG. And we will NOT back down.

Red Roots will continue to be the #1 source for high-quality, lab-tested Indigenous cannabis and tobacco/nicotine products in Ottawa, across Algonquin Territory, and beyond.

We’ve carried our trade for generations. No police raid, no government system, and no stolen product will stop that.

This is bigger than us. This is about every Indigenous business fighting to exist on our own land. And we are not done.