Alexander First Nation has its eye on the cannabis industry.
Earlier this month, the Alexander Business Centre announced that it has intentions to build a cannabis production facility within its community, which is located around 20 km west of Morinville.
“This is going to generate at least a couple million dollars a year,” said Ian Arcand, CEO of the centre.
The 24,000-square-foot building would be built through a partnership with RavenQuest Cannabis BioMed Inc. Details on the deal are still being worked out, but construction costs are expected to be around $25,000.
Once built, Alexander will partially own and operate the facility, selling product through the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.
On Aug. 10, a busload of people travelled from the First Nation community to tour a RavenQuest production facility in Edmonton. The one slated for Alexander will have some of the same features, including innovative technology used to grow the soon-to-be-legalized recreational drug.
That includes ditching the flat-table model – where potted plants grow skywards towards its light source – for orbital gardens. The gardens feature stacks of hollow drums where plants hang around a light source.
One garden – called the Orbital Garden 2.0 – can grow up to 300 grams of cannabis. The Edmonton RavenQuest Cannabis BioMed facility is expected to grow 7,000 kilograms of cannabis a year and generate around $48 million annually.
The building in Alexander First Nation will be around half the size as the one in Edmonton and is expected to create between 45 and 50 jobs. It will have 10 growing rooms featuring orbital gardens.
The company said it was unknown at this point how much cannabis would be produced at the First Nation’s facility each year, or how much revenue could be generated.
When it comes to the future, Arcand can’t help but smile.
“I’m excited for the employment and revenue, we need a revenue source for the First Nation,” he explained.
Bill Robinson, who handles government and Indigenous relations for RavenQuest Cannabis BioMed, said cannabis is an industry that Indigenous communities should embrace.
“This is an industry that can be built right in your community, it can employ people right in your community,” he explained. “It can also provide opportunities to make a very sustainable, very substantial revenue source for your community well into the future.”
When asked about costs, Arcand said discussions continue to determine how much money Alexander and RavenQuest would each be putting into the project. He said eventually Alexander First Nation would solely own the facility.
As for next steps, Arcand said RavenQuest Cannabis BioMed Inc. would now be applying through Health Canada as a licensed producer to get the building approved.
