I went through the same stress before flying. Vapes are fine to bring in checked luggage as long as there’s no liquid in the device, and make sure the battery is packed safely.
I brought my vape in checked luggage with no issues. Just made sure there were no cartridges with liquids and batteries stayed in my carry-on as required by airport rules.
I’m in Edmonton and there’s a good number of Africans here, especially Nigerians and Ghanaians. North or northwest side might be a solid area to check out for your restaurant.