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February 4, 2025
Edmonton City Council passed a bylaw to restrict the sale of knives in convenience stores in an effort to bolster community safety and respond to Edmontonians’ and local business concerns.
"Convenient and quick access to knives makes our community less safe," said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. “Building a City that’s safer for everyone is our top priority, and by removing these easily accessible potential weapons from convenience stores, all Edmontonians will feel more safe.”
Bylaw 21012 creates an amendment to the City’s Business Licence Bylaw to create a ‘Retail Sales (Convenience Store)’ category and a definition of knives that cannot be sold in convenience stores. The creation of a separate category for convenience stores will help limit convenient or impulsive access to knives. The bylaw does not affect the sale of everyday cutlery.
The new convenience store category is in response to concerns expressed by community members and the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) regarding the easy accessibility of knives in convenience stores. The bylaw will not apply to retailers that have not been identified as a concern, such as sporting goods/recreational and kitchen supply retailers.
“Incidents involving edged weapons, in particular knives, continue to be an ongoing issue in Edmonton,” said Keith Johnson, Superintendent, EPS Crime Suppression and Community Operations Division. “We’re pleased with the City’s decision to proceed with this bylaw and are hopeful it will have positive impacts on community safety citywide.”
The new bylaw will come into effect for individual stores when they apply for a new business licence, or renew their existing business licence. However, stores are strongly encouraged to voluntarily participate and remove knives from their store shelves immediately.
Once Bylaw 20002 is amended by Bylaw 21012, full implementation will take a minimum of two years as business licences are issued for up to two years at a time. The new requirements cannot be applied to existing businesses until their licences are renewed.
The approach to enforcement will mainly be complaint-based. City administration will focus primarily on ensuring convenience stores are licensed under the new category through targeted education, followed by enforcement where required. EPS will have the authority to enforce the new operating requirements and seize weapons when required.
The proposed definition for “knife” captures all items where a blade is affixed to a handle. The proposed definition for the “Retail Sales (Convenience Store)” category considers the types of goods and services offered, the typical physical size of the store and complimentary services that is commonly associated with a convenience store. The definition also includes provisions to prevent overlap with other forms of retail sales by mandating a defined space requirement for the portion of a business that is being used as a convenience store.
Information about the new business licence category, including application and operating requirements, will be published on the City’s website at edmonton.ca/businesscategories under ‘Retail Sales (Convenience Store)’.
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