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Health Canada gives go ahead for medical marijuana facility

It’s go time. That is how Cory Kitchen, one of the founders of Quadel Growers Incorporated characterized his company’s efforts to build a medical marijuana facility by Quadel Growers Incorporated in Fort Assiniboine.

It’s go time.

That is how Cory Kitchen, one of the founders of Quadel Growers Incorporated characterized his company’s efforts to build a medical marijuana facility by Quadel Growers Incorporated in Fort Assiniboine.

“The timeline is now up to us, everything is now on our shoulders. We passed all the checks and balances, proved we are a viable company and received Health Canada’s approval. Currently in the process of raising capital,” he said, noting they were well on their way to raise the necessary funds. “We are extremely confident that we will be able to reach our goal, but we don’t have to wait until we have all our funding to move on to the next phase of the project.”

The next phase Kitchen is referring to is all the work that needs to be done before construction begins, such as prepping the building site, getting all the appropriate building permits and putting the work out to tender, which whenever possible, will be awarded to area businesses and trade people.

Although Kitchen would not give an estimate on when construction would begin, he suggested once it was started it would move at an accelerated pace.

“I am literally in my office looking at all the schematics. Everything has been engineered, with stamps and now that we have approval all we have to do is follow through on those plans and blueprints and build the facility,” he said, adding he couldn’t go into great detail about the construction as much of the process is proprietary.

When the approximately 20,000 square foot facility is completed it would employ between 35 to 40 people in its initial stages. However, Kitchen believes that number could grow to 100 when the facility moves past its initial startup phase. All of its sales would come from off site methods, such as mail and online and will be delivered by Canada Post.

In previous interviews with the Barrhead Leader, Kitchen and Quadel Growers other co-founder Darrel Renkema, noted that they are not are concerned about the Federal government’s plan to legalize marijuana, which is expected to happen sometime this summer as it was always their plan to target the medical marijuana market.

In September 2017, during an open house in Fort Assiniboine Renkema noted that currently Health Canada restricts marijuana products to flour and oil, but if and when other products become allowed, such as edibles, Quadel Growers would entertain expanding its line as long as it’s a medical product.

Shortly after the open house Woodlands County’s municipal commission (MPC) unanimously granted the company its stamp of approval during its Sept. 20 meeting in Fort Assiniboine.

The idea for starting a medical marijuana facility came from an unlikely place, an Airdrie garage.

Kitchen said in an interview before the September open house, that he and Darrel Renkema, who grew up in Fort Assiniboine, are neighbours in Airdrie and were talking about potential career alternatives in Renkema’s garage one evening.

Both Renkema and Kitchen, were looking to leave their oil patch jobs, partly to the instability due to low oil prices. In addition, the pair were both growing weary of having their work take them away from their families for extended periods. However, for Kitchen there was an added, more personal reason. He saw the positive impact in his father’s life. Kitchen’s father was suffering from terminal cancer.

“Watching my father use the product, not the leaf but the actual CBD [cannabidiol] extract oil that is scientifically chosen for the patient and how it improved the quality of his life,” he said, adding his father was a conservative who did not approve of marijuana. “But on his last days on the planet Dad tried it and I’m glad he did. Because of it we were able to get more time with him.


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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