Marijuana operation in Stellarton finally gets green light after 6 years

The planto grow cannabis in Stellarton, N.S., has finally come to fruition, nearly six years after the groundwork was first laid to convert a large former electronics plant into amarijuana production facility.

ZenabisGlobal Inc. announced Monday the site has received itscultivation licence from Health Canada.

"We are incredibly excited about the fact we've now achieved our licence," said company CEO Andrew Grieve."We are happy to be growing here."

Grieve said $20 million has been spent to dateon transforming the oldClairtoneplant inStellarton.One of Zenabis'sinvestors isMillbrookFirst Nation, which has poured $5 million into the venture.

The huge building where stereos were once built will now have 255,000 square feet dedicated to cannabis cultivation. It will also become a hub for many new jobs.

"They're going to be a major employer here in town in what is still a new industry, so we are very excited to have them here," said Stellarton Mayor Danny MacGillivray.

There are currently20 employees, but once production ramps up to full capacity there will be 200 workers at the Stellarton plant by the end of 2019.

Some marijuana plants have already been started and the first crop will be ready in about two months. The facility does not yet have a licence to sell out of Stellarton, so product will be shipped toanother Zenabisoperation, inAtholville, N.B.

"We can be cultivating as much as we want here in Stellarton now," said Grieve. "We'll be shipping it off to Atholville where we will complete the processing and packaging process, and then from there we will be selling it off to our provincial customers."

Zenabis alsohas operations in Delta, B.C.

Only two companies operating in Nova Scotia currently have a licence to sell their cannabis products atNSLCcannabis stores.

Breathing Green Solutions in theWentworthValley became the first in October 2018, while Highland Grow Inc. in Ohio,AntigonishCounty, got the green light to sell two months later.

MillbrookChief BobGloadesaid Monday the First Nation had been looking at different options before meeting withZenabis. He said the company invited them to become partners and "we willingly accepted."

"We said we are not going to miss out on any opportunities in this venture going forward," he said.

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