There are plans to switch production at a greenhouse facility in Enniskillen Township from peppers to pot.
A British Columbia-based company wants to invest as much as $30-million to convert a property currently being used by the Enniskillen Pepper Company into in a medical marijuana cultivation and processing facility.
Tilray Canada Ltd. has applied to Health Canada for a licence to produce medical cannabis on the 100-acre Lasalle Line property that includes 13 acres of existing greenhouse space.
Enniskillen Township Mayor Kevin Marriott says it's very exciting to have an employee recruitment of this size.
"They hope to have production going by January 1, 2018," says Marriott. "The first production will not be processed at the site, but within five years they hope to have right from production growing to the finished product being shipped from the site, which at that point would be up to 250 jobs for the community once they're at peak production and processing."
Marriott says work to convert the greenhouse would begin as soon as the current pepper crop is harvested.
The mayor believes all 30 of the current greenhouse employees have been offered a job with Tilray which plans to hire an initial 50 people by the end of 2018.
Marriott says the company indicates the first phase will include about 40,000 sq ft of processing space.
"Once they get this fully converted it will be five times the size of their current operation in Nanaimo," he says.
Tilray Chief Executive Officer Brendan Kennedy says the project is "another strategic milestone for Tilray as governments around the world increase access to medical cannabis and Canada prepares to legalize and regulate it for responsible adult consumption. The Enniskillen facility is strategically located with a strong workforce of qualified, skilled agricultural professionals, and we are excited to be expanding our production processes there.”
Tilray's flagship facility in Nanaimo B.C. opened in 2014 and has the capacity to produce eight metric tonnes of medical marijuana each year.
The company says the two facilities will generate a combined production capacity of up to 51 metric tonnes per year to meet the rapid global demand for high-quality cannabis products.