R.M. of Buckland. (Charlene Tebbutt/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Local economy

Proposed cannabis production facility receives green light from R.M. of Buckland

Mar 12, 2019 | 5:36 PM

still The wheels are in motion for a brand new cannabis production facility north of Prince Albert.

The Rural Municipality (R.M.) of Buckland council gave the application its support, after adopting a bylaw which allows R.M. land to be used for cannabis production facilities. Planning Manager Jason Kaptein said the facility represents a good economic driver for the R.M.

“It’s a legitimate industry,” he said. “There’s these types of facilities going up across Saskatchewan.”

Prior to voting on the application, R.M. administrators were required to consult with land owners. Kaptein said they received some good feedback.

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“Some concerns mostly in the crime area but [the applicant] has to, through their Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming (SLGA) [registration], and meet a number of safety aspects in terms of fencing and security systems,” he said.

In addition to obtaining permission to sell to retailers from the SLGA, the owner also requires the approval of Health Canada before construction can begin. Kaptein said since recreational marijuana was formally legalized in Canada last fall, the R.M. received several inquiries about production facilities but this application was the first proper proposal to come to council.

John Goreham owns the property north of Prince Albert. He told paNOW if someone told him four months ago he would be growing cannabis for retail stores, he would have told them they were crazy. But Goreham, who has been raising horses for years, said when his sons approached him with the idea he realized the opportunity was too good to pass up.

“The economy has been so slow in the last bunch of years so we had to branch out into something else,” he said. “It’s a $7 billion industry in Canada right now and five years from now they are expecting it to exceed $20 billion.”

Goreham said he received a lot of support from his neighbours as well as the retail stores he would be selling to, adding many of the cannabis stores struggled with supply amounts when they first opened. Goreham’s micro-cannabis license allows him to have a 2,000 square foot greenhouse. He and other family members plan to run the operation.

“I don’t want to be one of these $10 million operations, I just want to have a little income for myself and my family and, you know, we can expand in the future. We’ll see how it goes,” he said.

Gorham said he would like to get shovels in the ground as soon as the ground thaws, but explained the only pushback he’s received came from banks.

“I have actually encountered banks where they said not only will not fund that industry, but if I set it up and I have a bank account with them, they’ll freeze the account,” he said.

Despite that pushback, it’s not slowing Gorham’s prospects. He’s been advised to consult with other financial institutions in larger city centres.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell