One of the world’s largest producers of medical marijuana is set to open a new production facility in Pointe-Claire and the reaction from nearby residents has been mixed.
David May, who lives near the site of the planned facility on Hymus Blvd. said he doesn’t believe Aurora Cannabis belongs near the residential neighbourhood.
“I’m totally against it,” he said. “I don’t want anything to do with it here. It doesn’t belong here. Not in this area.”
Others were more welcoming. Peter Ascoli pointed to other, less controversial but similar companies that operate nearby.
“It’s for medical purposes so it will be regulated by the government,” he said. “We’re surrounded by pharmaceutical companies all over the West Island so I expect it to be regulated the same way.”
It is the first licensed marijuana distributor to set up shop on the island of Montreal. Gatineau is the only other place in Quebec with a licensed medical marijuana producer.
Aurora Executive Vice President Cam Battley said the company has faced concerns when it opened facilities in other Canadian cities in the past. When production begins later in 2017, it will be the first licensed medical marijuana grower on the island of Montreal. Another company, Hydropothecary, operates a site in Gatineau.
“When we opened our first facility, we had a lot of questions from people in the community including would there be a smell of cannabis outside the facility and would there be an increase in crime in the area,” he said. “Of course, these things have not come to pass.
“We grow medicine. We operate to very similar standards and these are sterile environments inside.”
Pointe-Claire Mayor Morris Trudeau said his office hasn’t received any complaints.
Battley pointed out that Health Canada has regulations against there being any smell outside of medical cannabis production facilities and the company has installed high-quality air filtration systems at all of their sites. He said there has been no increase in crime near any of those locations.
“We run high-security facilities with on-site security and there have been no issues,” he said. “We don’t anticipate any issues at the Pointe-Claire site either.”
The company, which operates facilities in Calgary and will soon build the world’s largest medical cannabis operation near Edmonton’s airport, has grown dramatically in the past year. Battey said the company’s market capitalization currently stands at $1 billion, up from $70 million a year ago.
He called Canada a “world leader” in the medical marijuana movement, a position that is likely to grow in the wake of the Trudeau government’s announcement on Thursday that it has tabled legislation legalizing marijuana for commercial use.
“This is a fascinating time for the cannabis sector in Canada,” said Battley. “We already have in Canada the world’s most advanced, most successful, most well-developed medical cannabis system with more than 160,000 patients with a prescription from their physician.
“This is a very exciting moment for Canada because I believe other countries trust Canada to do this, to be the pioneer and to get it right.”
