Canopy Growth is getting closer to growing cannabis at its new production facility in St. John's, though the company is not making public commitments on when exactly that will happen.
According to a Health Canada online database, East Coast Tweed Inc. obtained a cultivation licence to produce plants and seeds in Newfoundland and Labrador as of Oct. 2. East Coast Tweed is a subsidiary company of Canopy Growth, sharing a mailing address with the company's headquarters in Smiths Falls, Ont. The national cannabis producer, which also operates retail stores under the Tweed brand, committed to building a $55-million production facility in the province. That was part of a supply agreement with the provincial government first announced in late 2017, less than a year before the legalization of cannabis in Canada.
Canopy Growth declined an interview with The Telegram. In an emailed response to questions, Canopy Growth vice president of communications Jordan Sinclair confirmed news of the Health Canada licence to cultivate, adding construction work on the production facility is now complete.
"Following our usual process, a core team of employees has been hired to ensure the building and all of the rooms are properly commissioned before we begin the process of producing cannabis," he said. "We have hired approximately 15 staff, mostly in operations and administration positions, that make up the core team currently working out of our production facility at East White Hills Road."
In a follow-up response to a question on a potential timeline for when cannabis production might begin in St, John's, a Canopy Growth spokeswoman said that "(b)ecause commissioning is still underway we aren't able to comment on a timeline at this time."
The 150,000-square-foot production facility is expected to produce 12,000 kilograms of cannabis annually, with 8,000 kilograms to be sold within the province through retailers licensed by the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corp. Once the site is fully operational, it's expected to employ 145 full-time workers.
Canopy Growth's initial deal with the provincial government came with additional incentives to offset construction costs for the facility, up to an amount of $40 million. That money goes to the company through extra commissions on retail sales. There are currently six Tweed locations in Newfoundland and Labrador.
— Andrew Robinson is a business reporter in St. John's.
