Several councillors are praising a proposed cannabis production facility in the Engle business district at a Governance and Priories Committee meeting March 11.
Jordan Harker, the developer behind the project, said the facility will produce competitively priced products and would create roughly 12 full-time jobs and 20 to 25 part-time positions.
Brett McGarry/NNSL Photo
Specifically, council and administration looked at the proposal through a zoning bylaw lens, to ensure the facility is built in the properly zoned location.
The lot in question has been zoned as SA国际影视传媒淏ISA国际影视传媒� or business industrial. Lots zoned for BI can be used for SA国际影视传媒渓arger commercial and industrial complexes geared towards production of goods, accessory offices, research and development, laboratories, and greenhouses,SA国际影视传媒� city documents state.
Nalini Naidoo, director of public planning, said the growing facility complies with regulations.
The facility itself will have no storefront component and will only be selling cannabis products to the territorial government, while being regulated by the federal government.
SA国际影视传媒淲e are just and a supplier. This is a very secure facility in line with Health Canada regulations,SA国际影视传媒� Harker said.
He noted that visitors or anyone wanting to see the facility are not welcome.
The grounds also would include research and development laboratories, with most of that research concerning cannabis genetics and breeding, according to Harker.
SA国际影视传媒淎lso, we will be getting into edibles and oils but there are a lot restrictions that will come into play with that,SA国际影视传媒� Harker said. SA国际影视传媒淔rom the beginning our plan was genetics.SA国际影视传媒�
With cannabis being a new economic component in the territory and despite administration noting that the federal government will not be sharing cannabis revenue with the city, administration supported the development of the facility and councillors followed suit.
Image courtesy of City of Yellowknife.
SA国际影视传媒淭his is really encouraging for council,SA国际影视传媒� Coun. Niels Konge said. SA国际影视传媒淭his is a territory where we don't produce a lot of things. Usually goods are brought up the road or flown in SA国际影视传媒� and someone actually wants to actually produce something, that's a rarity up here. This should be applauded.SA国际影视传媒�
Coun. Steve Payne, Coun. Shauna Morgan and Coun. Cynthia Mufandaedza all acknowledged support for the facility. Payne said when it comes to any locally-made product, SA国际影视传媒淚'm all over it, so I guess I'll be all over this too.SA国际影视传媒�
Payne is concerned, however, about the legal red tape such a facility would have to overcome to operate.
SA国际影视传媒淵ou look at the brew pub and how many hoops they had to jump through to produce something that was already legal for a number of years,SA国际影视传媒� Payne said. SA国际影视传媒淚 hope (regulators will) be on board with this.SA国际影视传媒�
The territorial government, however, is not involved in regulating the facility in any aspect, says GNWT senior communications officer Todd Sasaki.
"Once operational, an NWT licensed producer would need to work with the Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission (NTLCC) to establish a contract to be a cannabis supplier in the NWT," Sasaki said in an email.
Council moved to expedite the approval process and had the matter put before council for a vote on March 11, which passed unanimously. Now, Harker will need approval from Health Canada to get the proposed facility operational.
