Danyka Dunseith, CEO and Founder of CannaCollective Inc. is a first generation hemp farmer located in Stratford, Ontario. After uprooting her, career, life and home in Toronto, ON, Dunseith converted her family farm into a working industrial hemp farm.
Dunseith, eager to educate herself on soil single-handedly seeded and cultivated 50 acres of industrial hemp in 2018, yielding over 93,000 kgs of biomass used for Ontario agriculture statistics and best practices. Since then, CannaCollective Inc. has traveled the world conducting research and development on the sustainability of hemp in local and developing countries, gaining further knowledge of the global impact industrial hemp is poised to make in coming years; showcasing how local farms can make a global impact.
Combining her background in Public Relations & Communications, Dunseith shifted her focus to the plethora of benefits the hemp plant had to offer; aligning with agriculture- Dunseith is focused on highlighting and communicating the benefits of hemp growth, cultivation and distribution. CannaCollective Inc. will continue to educate local farmers in South Western Ontario and globally.
Dunseith will be expanding to 73 acres this season, with significant plans to expand by 2021 in the Greater Toronto Area. As CannaCollective Inc. is on the precipice of an environmental-conscious “green-rush”, Dunseith will remain at the forefront continuing research surrounding the benefits of hemp including; CBD, bio-degradable plastic, superfoods and a renewable energy source.
Andrea Paine is National Director of Government Relations at Aurora Cannabis. She is the lead director for federal and provincial government relations, community relations with municipalities and local non-profit associations, and is leading collaborative GR efforts in Europe. Before joining Aurora, Andrea had a long professional career in politics and government. She worked for over twenty-five years with cabinet Ministers in Quebec provincial departments of Food and Fisheries, Transport and Education, and Federal Ministers of Human Resources and Social Development, Heritage, Health, as well as with the Government House Leader.
Ellen Taylor Brown is the Director of Cultivation & Education for CannaCollective a hemp farming in South/Western Ontario, Canada. After coming on board in 2018, Brown has since overseen nearly 40 hectares of industrial hemp and continues to analyze soil, genetics and growth into the 2019 season. Upon finishing service in 2010 for the United States Air Force, Brown began her cannabis career in Northern California, where she acquired the position of management and lead cultivator at a local dispensary in a rapidly growing market.
After being exposed to and thriving in the booming cannabis market, Brown recognized a gap in the patient/medicinal market in her home state of Massachusetts. In 2015 she founded Sinsemilla Seminars and that allowed Brown to bridge that gap through education and community outreach. Since then Sinsemilla Seminars has held seminars, lectures and education program throughout the U.S. and featured in local news, entertainment and large-scale media outlets such as; High Times Magazine, Sinse Magazine Boston, Marijuana Business Venture, Bostinno, WCVB, Cape & Plymouth Business Magazine, and many more. Recently Ellen recieved New England Business Leader of the Year from the New England Cannabis Conference Community awards.
Brown specializes in sustainable cultivation of hemp and cannabis; best practices, dispensary service and direction, and how to create a myriad product. Ellen’s extensive knowledge and first-hand industry experience has made her a fiercely sought-after consultant. She has spoken at over 60 conferences and is recognized as a cannabis thought leader and activist. As a prominent advocate, Ellen has spoken all over the world including The Boston Freedom Rally, Seattle Hempfest and The High Times Jamaica Cannabis Cup and will be expanding to the Canadian industry and landscape.
Her unprecedented set of skills provide a pathway to success for her students and clients. She continues to share her years of wisdom and experience to help create a much-needed paradigm shift to the impact of the war on drugs. She believes that if we teach each other about the benefits of the cannabis and hemp plants, that we will be able to secure the plant’s safety for future generations and create sustainable, streamlined options. In an industry that is evolving, growing and thriving more than ever, Brown leads by example and practice, empowering teachers and advocates, such as herself, to be their own platform and continue to educate, create and motivate.
Richard Butler B.Sc. (Hons.), MSc., LL.B., is a Partner at Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP. Richard practices advocacy before all levels of court and tribunals, including civil litigation, administrative appeals and defence of environmental prosecutions.
Richard provides advice and support to clients on all aspects of environmental law including regulatory compliance and approvals, contaminated land investigations and remediation and spills response, wastewater discharges and waste management.
Richard is leading the firm’s cannabis practice, including regulation at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. The firm has experience in cannabis waste, waste water and greenhouse regulation, agricultural practices and exemptions. Richard’s experience also includes Environmental Risk Assessments for food producers, farming properties and greenhouses.
Richard’s degrees in Earth Sciences and experience with mining projects in Ontario, B.C., and North of 600 complement his work in assisting clients to secure mining rights and approvals, develop mining infrastructure, and manage mine waste and waste water issues.
Richard frequently works with clients in the municipal, construction, food processing, land development, mining and exploration, and insurance sectors. Richard is called to the Bar in Ontario.
Dr. Lucas McCann is the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at CannDelta. He provides scientific oversight and business strategy on all projects. Lucas has extensive experience helping clients to set up new businesses in the emerging cannabis industry by helping them with business strategy, planning and navigating regulatory frameworks including license applications. He has helped launch over 300 cannabis businesses in the U.S. and Canada as well as in the food, dietary supplements, and pharmaceutical industries. Now CannDelta has grown to include offices in New Jersey, New York, and Toronto to better serve their clients.
An expert in regulations, Lucas has experience in all aspects of these industries, including cannabis-specific expertise in commercial cultivation, manufacturing, analytical testing and cannabis retail. Lucas acquired his regulatory experience and knowledge while working as a Specialist for the Regulatory and Operations Enforcement Branch (Health Products) at Health Canada, the federal regulator for cannabis and controlled substances in Canada. He is a dynamic public speaker and regularly engages with local and international media on topics relevant to the cannabis industry. Lucas has published multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and a university textbook.
She has a MSc in Food Science from Dalhousie University Halifax. With more than a decade of experience in food science and technology, she is currently the QA manager/ QAP for Aqualitas. Priyanka has compliance experience in cannabis industry as a QA Manager under the former ACMPR and expertise in Quality control/ Assurance in cannabis, food processing and agriculture environments. Developing, implementing and managing procedure and protocols to ensure the company’s practices and products are of the highest quality and is team lead for our EU GMP certification.
While the name “Katy Perry” may be synonymous with music and popular culture to some, to Canada’s cannabis scene, there is only one Katy Perry, and she is the owner and operator of TOKE Cannabis as well as a long-time player in the Canadian cannabis space. Katy brings a depth of knowledge to the legal market. She has been a part of the cannabis legalization movement in Canada for over 10 years and is passionate about changing the image of cannabis and cannabis consumers. From cannabis cultivation to distribution Katy has been teaching both consumers and cultivators how to grow, sell and use cannabis for almost a decade. At TOKE, Katy navigates consumers through the sometimes confusing world of cannabis consumption.
Daniel is the Marketing Manager for Agronomic IQ, the most advanced temperature, humidity and grow room HVAC equipment in the world. He has been with the company since January 2019 and is leveraging his marketing experience from the automotive sector. Daniel graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in Political Science, and gained marketing expertise through the Advertising and Marketing Communications program at Georgian College.
Frenchy Cannoli is an Oakland-based teacher, consultant, artisan and activist dedicated to the production and appreciation of traditional cannabis concentrates.
Frenchy grew up in Nice, France but left home as soon as he could, inspired by the promise of exotic adventure — and by the imported hashish common in late-60s Europe. He lived nomadically for over twenty years, staying with traditional producers and learning techniques handed down over generations. This took him from Morocco, to Mexico, to Nepal, Pakistan and India, where he spent eight growing seasons living in caves and harvesting cannabis resin with Parvati Valley cultivators. Eventually, he settled with his family in California, where early medical access laws let him go from hiding his life’s work to producing legal cannabis concentrates.
Collaborating with legendary Emerald Triangle growers and experimenting with techniques like ageing, Frenchy’s since scaled up to producing “pure gold” (Cannabis Now) for licensed dispensary distribution: “unmatched” hash, with a character “unlike anything that you would ever smell or taste in cannabis [flower]” (Nick Smilgys, Emerald Cup judge). He’s also taken an open-source approach to promoting traditional methods. His “Lost Art of the Hashishin” seminars provide hands-on training for aspiring concentrate-makers, and Frenchy freely shares the same techniques on Youtube, as well as with his 114,000+ Instagram followers. He’s likewise pushed for broader post-legalization public education: beyond working to develop hashish grading standards, Frenchy is a prominent supporter of regional growing certifications for cannabis production, inspired by appellation d’origine contrôlée rules like those protecting the integrity of Bordeaux wines. He’s also developing a feature-length documentary that showcases the challenges legalization has brought to small California farms.
Frenchy’s lively personality and unique expertise make him a sought-after international speaker, on topics such as cannabis terroir, the promise of organic and regenerative cultivation approaches, and the importance of independent “craft” production. He also writes about the science and global history of cannabis for publications including Extraction Magazine (USA), Skunk (Canada), Weed World (England) and Dolce Vita (Italy).
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