New cannabis operation approved at airport

Development

By Lawrence Gleason Local Press Writer

A new cannabis-related business that could eventually employ 75 people has been approved to set up in the Claresholm Industrial Airport.

The Municipal Planning Commission of the Municipal District of Willow Creek approved the development permit Aug. 21 for Glacier Kootenay Craft Ltd. The development application was approved by the Municipal Planning Commission with 24 conditions, including the operation be tied in to the high-pressure fire suppression system that serves that industrial park. The two-phase plan is to eventually have 18 boutique cannabis growing operations.

At the end of Phase 2 the project is proposed to need nine master growers, 18 assistant growers, 36 trimmers and cleaners and security staff, for a total of 75 employees. Each micro-cultivation facility will be adequate to house and grow up to 2,000 plants with a total canopy of approximately 38,700 square feet. Each of the 18 proposed small growing operations will each result in a harvest so small they could fit in two duffle bags, said Michael Wellwood, the chief financial officer of Glacier Kootenay Craft.

That means there will be no requirement for large transport trucks to transport out finished product. The largest vehicle shipping and receiving will be a cube van. The first phase will contain six grow facilities, which will look much like a locked strip mall.

The second phase will add 12 more boutique growing facilities. The site will be secured, following federal guidelines, with security personnel in place. The operation, once complete, will be a cluster of mall-like commercial cannabis micro-cultivation facilities.

“(We want to grow) the best cannabis products to establish an innovative cannabis and growing brand (within) affordable prices,” Wellwood said. Kootenay Glacier Kootenay Craft Limited plans to distribute their product line throughout Canada after three years of operation.