by Grow Up Conference | Sep 30, 2024 | Garden Culture Magazine, Media Partners
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation occurs annually in Canada on September 30th. It’s a day to remember the children who never returned from the residential school system, their families, and their communities. Commemorative events are held nationwide, including Orange Shirt Day; people can also participate in ongoing reconciliation efforts by planning to grow a heart garden.


What is a Heart Garden?
In June 2024, the Canadian government launched the Honouring Memories, Planting Dreams heart garden at Rideau Hall. This garden remembers First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children who were in the residential school system – the survivors as well as those who never came home.
Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon worked with schoolchildren to make hearts with written messages. They glued the hearts onto sticks and planted them in a garden.
Each heart represents our responsibility to remember the Indigenous children’s stories and acknowledge their pain, strength, and courage. Throughout the summer, visitors to Rideau Hall were encouraged to add more hearts to the garden.
The garden at Rideau Hall is in a public outdoor space, but heart gardens can be grown in yards everywhere or indoors. Anyone can participate!
Getting Started
The first step to creating a heart garden is to learn about residential schools and their devastating impacts and understand the definition of reconciliation.
How To Create A Heart Garden
- Next, decorate a paper heart and honor the children who attended residential schools with written messages. Use the heart template at the bottom of this Honouring Memories, Planting Dreams PDF.
- Cut out the heart, but leave it joined at the top so you can fold both sides together to make it two-sided.
- Glue a stick to the inside of the heart and fold the other side over to seal it closed.
- Plant the stick in your garden soil or flower pot.


What To Plant In A Heart Garden
The First Nations Child & Family Caring Society suggests planting native species that bloom throughout the seasons and support pollinators and wildlife.
Consider a native wildflower mix or tall grasses local to your region. For example:
- Black-eyed Susans
- Butterfly Milkweed
- Foxglove
- Wild Aster
- Fowl Bluegrass
- Yello Prairie Grass
- Wild Bergamot
- Bee Balm
- Little Bluestem
- Shasta daisy
Maintaining A Heart Garden
Don’t bother deadheading plants or removing garden debris in the fall. Insects and other wildlife will use the stems and leaves for shelter over the winter, and birds will nibble at the seedheads when food is more scarce. Fallen plant debris will eventually decompose and nourish the soil.
Spread The Word!
Planting a heart garden is a meaningful way to acknowledge mistakes from our past, remember the victims of the residential school system, and grow together as a society. Register your garden at honouringmemoriesplantingdreams.ca and share photos of what you’ve planted on social media with the hashtag #TRCHeartGardens.
by Grow Up Conference | Sep 30, 2024 | Media Partners, Stratcann
When Ontario Premier Doug Ford posted a video to social media of him smiling and clinking cans in front of a convenience store display to celebrate the start of beer, wine, and mixed drink sales, it signalled the province’s support of the liquor industry and desire to see it grow.
Posted to Ford’s Instagram account on September 5, the change to allow liquor sales at more than 4,000 convenience stores gives consumers “more choice and convenience,” he said, and will be expanded to include grocery and big-box stores in the near future.
“Delivering on our promise to treat people like adults while giving small businesses the chance to grow and create more local jobs,” read the post.
The cannabis industry doesn’t have a provincial politician or policy maker championing it like this anywhere in Canada, which is part of the reason why, nearly six years after legalization, small and mid-sized producers are still finding it difficult to stay solvent, the illicit market remains entrenched, and tourism has yet to take off.
It’s at the provincial level where change is needed to unlock the plant’s potential, says an Edmonton city councillor.
In October 2022, Coun. Michael Janz put forward a plan to make Edmonton the “Cannabis Industry Capital of the World,” but doing so would require policy changes by the province to allow places like cannabis cafes and lounges to operate.
Two years later, those changes still haven’t been made, and they are not being considered.
“The log-jam is at the provincial government,” said Janz.
“We need the provincial ministers who are giving the rhetoric about cutting red tape and Alberta is open for business and all of this, we need them to look at, it’s been six years, virtually without incident. (Legalization) has gone very well. Far, far better than even the toughest critics would have imagined … now we need them to get out of the way and start letting the entrepreneurs and creative spirits do their thing.”
Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) is in charge of sales, and Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally was tasked with overseeing the sector’s growth in 2023. Municipalities can create their own rules around consumption.
Cafes and lounges are “currently not being considered,” said press secretary Brandon Aboultaif in an emailed statement.
“In the last year, we simplified employment requirements for new employees so cannabis retailers can hire staff more quickly, while still ensuring necessary training safeguards,” it read. “We reduced listing fees for licensed producers by 83 per cent and shipping fees for retailers by 11 per cent, and we also now allow licensed cannabis retailers to operate temporary sales locations at adults-only events like trade shows and festivals.”
Nally was not available for an interview as he was away on vacation, but he spoke at the Grow Up Conference on Sept. 29 Edmonton.
Aboultaif also pointed to changes like allowing retailers to open at 9 a.m., removing signage restrictions, and simplifying the steps for age verification for online purchases.
“We look forward to continuing to work with industry to identify opportunities to ease regulatory burden and strengthen our cannabis industry,” he said.
BC now allows “cannabis consumption spaces” on patios where tobacco and vaping are permitted.
The slow pace of change around policy has prevented the industry from growing in Alberta, says Fernando Di Capua, a consultant and founder of the 10:01 Group.
“There’s statistics coming out right now that show the industry kind of flatlining, which shouldn’t be the case,” he said. “We should be growing month over month. Even with hundreds of thousands of newcomers to Alberta and across Canada, the industry is still flat, it should be growing.”
Rules should also be streamlined across the country, said Di Capua.
“You’re allowed to have a rosin press in Ontario in the stores, but no retailer in Alberta has ever had a rosin press inside their store,” he said.
“I feel like Alberta really got out of the gate with the legal industry, having the most stores right away. We had 100 stores before most provinces… we jumped the gun at the start of legalization, and I feel like other provinces have caught up and passed the AGLC in terms of deregulating and allowing for smoother performance of the industry.”
Along with cafes and lounges, Di Capua says allowing farm-gate sales and direct delivery from producers to retailers will make a big difference.
“We legalized the plant but we still have all these precautionary business tactics in place, it kind of feels like the industry has handcuffs on, or training wheels.”
by Grow Up Conference | Sep 28, 2024 | Media Partners, Stratcann
This week at StratCann, four cannabis companies were included among the top growing companies in Canada, Simply Solventless announced its plan to acquire ANC for $10 million in cash and stock, and Manitobans may finally be able to grow cannabis at home in 2025 legally.
Looking at the most recent figures from Statistics Canada, cannabis sales continue to show signs of levelling off, and David Brown commented on three upcoming provincial elections and how cannabis isn’t really a factor in any of them.
Koppert provided their insight on how to identify and naturally eliminate cannabis pests, while Four20 Premium Markets’s NOI proceedings were continued.
In law enforcement news, Calgary Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man behind several recent cannabis store robberies, four Canadians were caught trying to smuggle cannabis into the UK, and police in Ontario shut down two unlicensed cannabis shops in Niagara Falls.
In other cannabis news…
New Brunswick is seeking applications for a new private cannabis store in Dalhousie. CannabisNB also announced a new cannabis farmgate location in Drummond.
Grow Up founder Randy Rowe spoke with local media about the upcoming Grow Up Conference and Expo in Edmonton from September 29-October 1. (StratCann will be there!)
C3 President Paul McCarthy wrote about the challenges the industry faces with high excise rates in a guest piece in the Hill Times (paywall). And, C3 is hosting a half-day conference in Ottawa on October 1 to discuss these issues.
The European Union Drugs Agency finished a four-day visit to Canada, hosted by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, discussing topics that included cannabis initiatives as well as a visit to the SQDC.
Village Farms International Inc., the parent company of Pure Sunfarms, announced that it acquired the remaining equity ownership interest in Leli Holland, B.V. The company also announced that it has completed construction of the Leli Holland cultivation facility in the town of Drachten.
Avant Brands announced that it has entered into an exclusive trademark licensing agreement with Nectar Portfolio Pty Ltd., an Australian medicinal cannabis importer and distributor, marking Avant’s entry into the Australian medical cannabis market with its BLK MKT brand.
Avicanna Inc. announced a medical cannabis study through the MyMedi.ca medical cannabis care platform. The company seeks around 1,000 volunteers for its prospective non-interventional observational study.
Owen Sound, Ontario, hopes to improve safety by installing surveillance cameras paid for with the city’s Community Policing Reserve and Cannabis Reserve Funds.
Local media spoke with residents in Oro-Medonte Ontario about their thoughts on the Medical Saints cannabis operation on the outskirts of Shanty Bay. “Nobody got exactly what they wanted, but we came to an amicable solution,” said the mayor in another article.
La Sûreté du Québec says it has seized thousands of illegally-grown outdoor cannabis plants so far this year.
Quebec is going to court to fight the dumping of contaminated soil along the shores of a lake in the Mohawk community of Kanesatake. Media report that an affidavit from a government investigator names two cannabis dispensaries that have been built along the filled-in shoreline.
Investigators from the ACCES Cannabis Unit of the Quebec City Police Department (SPVQ) arrested a 47-year-old man during a search of a business on rue Saint-Joseph for the illegal sale of cannabis and its derivatives.
Five people now face charges following a series of police raids on two unlicensed Spirit River Cannabis stores in London, Ontario and the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation in August.
A Canadian woman caught attempting to bring nearly 18 kg of cannabis into Bermuda, hidden in her suitcase, was jailed for two years.
In international cannabis news…
A new ordinance in Colorado Springs, Colorado, requires that recreational cannabis shops not to be allowed within a one-mile buffer zone from schools, childcare facilities, and alcohol and drug treatment facilities, effectively banning them from most of the city. The city has no such rule for businesses that sell alcohol across the city.
A new report out of the US from a federal advisory panel says US health authorities need to play a more significant role in the nation’s cannabis policy. The report also includes a large section on Canada’s public-health-focused approach to cannabis legalization.
California has banned hemp products that contain any amount of THC in response to concerns with intoxicating substances like delta-8 THC.
Lobbying groups opposing and supporting a congressional effort to reign in the free-for-all around “intoxicating” hemp-derived cannabinoids in the US under the Farm Bill have ramped up their efforts in 2024 (paywall).
Kentucky awarded the first business license for its startup medical cannabis program, selecting a laboratory that will be assigned to test products before they are offered to patients. A lottery to award licenses to cultivators and processors will be held on October 28. The lottery for retail licenses will be announced later but will likely be in November.
And lastly, The US Security Exchange Commission issued fines of $175k each to two former Weedmaps executives for “negligent misrepresentations” of the company’s user numbers.
by Grow Up Conference | Sep 27, 2024 | Media Partners, The New Agora
Walking Around the Hound of Hell
by Miles Mathis / September 19, 2024
Last week a very important class-action lawsuit was filed against the big-six scientific publishers [ELSEVIER, WOLTERS KLUWER, JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC.,TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP, SPRINGER NATURE] for collusion, racketeering, violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and general malevolence to scientific progress. This lawsuit is decades overdue, and the fact that it hasn’t been filed until now is just one more indication of the weakness of the field and of the scientists that inhabit it. Scientists should have revolted against this system from the start, refusing to be a part of it, as I did, but even now they aren’t. This one lady neuroscientist at UCLA is filing a lawsuit, which is a start, but hundreds of thousands of scientists worldwide should have gone on strike decades ago. They didn’t and aren’t, telling you a lot about the field of science and the modern human in general.
The reason I am publicizing this lawsuit should be obvious: it confirms everything I have been saying since 2000, while also making more conspicuous the players arrayed against me. Even I wasn’t aware of the full extent of it, or the entire array of facts. If you read the linked lawsuit – and I highly recommend you do – you will see that Google has probably NOT been censoring me mainly on their own behalf or at the behest of top physicists or physics departments, as I had somewhat naively assumed. That may also be the case, and almost assuredly is, but given the money involved, I now see it is far more likely I am being censored and attacked primarily at the behest of these major publishing houses, who see me as a threat to their racket. The last thing they want mainstream scientists to see is the level of my success in driving around these publishers and the other rules of “doing science”. The fact that I have been able to outrank not only these publishing houses but the university sites and even Wikipedia and Britannica must burn up their CEOs, boards, and investors. If scientists figure out they can reach a far bigger audience far faster by doing so directly, as I do, cutting out these publishers, the roof will cave in.
This also allows us to explain my incredible success online: being the first to exploit this loophole, I filled a void no one else had even known was there. While everyone else was bogged down in this manufactured swamp, I was jetting ahead at full speed on my hovercraft, unencumbered by fake peer review and all the other nets of this scheme. And this was no accident. I didn’t just get lucky. My freedom was a result of my choice. As soon as I came in contact with this beast, I knew it for what it was and wanted to have nothing to do with it. It made no sense from the beginning to me that I should sell my work to some publisher for free (or more likely paying them), even gifting them the copyright, while getting nothing in return. What kind of fool would sign up to be raped like that? My first encounters with peer review were equally negative, since I found these reviewers and editors weren’t just wildly hostile to any new ideas, but were incapable of following basic logic or highschool algebra. It was like trying to reason with apes. More than one of them actually argued that a previous textbook equation (x’ = x – vt) with zero provenance was a “self evident truth”. I have since been proved right on that question and most others, but don’t expect these bozos to ever admit it. They will go to their graves insisting science is “what we learned in our textbooks in college”. Whenever they encounter something they don’t understand – which is hourly – they default to that.
What is most incredible, and putrid, is that most scientists don’t just fall prostrate at this corrupt system, they actually support it and even sell it, insisting that peer review and academic publishing is a great boon to science, keeping it pure and healthy. The same sort of inverted sales pitch we get from mainstream medicine, by the way. The mainstream, which is preventing all progress in all fields, sells itself as the great defender of progress. The usual fascists hiding behind democracy.
Rapine of both the producers and the public by a cloaked middleman, sold to you as freedom, independence, and health. Same thing we see with agriculture and food production, healthcare, art, and governance in general. Everything is upside-down and inside-out.
The text of this lawsuit is very extensive, but there are many things this Dr. Lucina Uddin missed nonetheless, one of them being that progress isn’t just being stalled in science, the entire field has been pre-gutted by this very scheme. No one with any self-respect would sign these contracts, leaving only those with little or none, and those people aren’t the cream of the crop. They don’t have the mental make-up to come up with new ideas in any field. I first came across this phenomenon in art, since it is the same there. The galleries and auction houses run the show there, their strings being pulled by the usual dark government entities, and the critics and magazines do the bidding of the galleries. So the producer – the artist – is defined out of the game from the start. To get anywhere, a young artist has to do what he is told, which of course can’t lead to real art. Real artists won’t put up with that, so they bow out from the beginning, or are tossed out with violence, leaving only the toadies who will. Toadies don’t make art, they only make the simulacra of art that can be used as the tokens of a vast money laundering scam. Mutatis mutandis, it is the same in science, where all real scientists quit the field at a young age, refusing to make the required bows to Mammon and other false gods, and the field is left to pretenders.
Nor is this an accident or side-effect. It is the desired outcome. For the financiers to control a field, they first have to decimate it, bombing it down to bare Earth. Think of it like corporate raiders of the Richard Gere type in Pretty Woman, who buy a failing company at a bargain price, then fire everyone and sell the parts. Only after that will they rebuild it on their own terms, terms of corruption and predation. We just saw it in the news today, as NPR reported on the bankruptcy of Steward Healthcare and the refusal of its CEO Ralph de la Torre to testify before Congress. A Senate committee just voted to find him in criminal contempt. This all started in 2010 when private equity firm Cerberus Capital bought out Caritas Christi Healthcare. They even told you who they were with that name Cerberus, since Cerberus is the three-headed hound of Hell.

Just so you know, Cerberus Global is run by former Vice President Dan Quayle. They forget to mention that in these Congressional proceedings and reports. The Chairman is former Treasury Secretary John Snow. The CEO of Cerberus Capital is Steve Feinberg. I guess none of those guys knew what was going on at Steward, since Congress is leaving them alone. I wonder why? And Steward isn’t only in trouble in the US, it is the center of a huge scandal in Phoenician center Malta, where de la Torre and others are being charged with bribery, theft and money laundering.
Anyway, Cerberus drove the company into the ground, cutting costs and services while making huge profits. The only difference between that scheme and the one of scientific publishing is that the publishers have found a way to make their rape of the producer and the field permanent, by crushing scientists to the extent they no longer remember they are being crushed. They have trained the slaves to defend their own servitude.
It is also worth pointing out that the current scheme is vanity publishing, or worse than vanity publishing. The mainstream scientists pay the publisher to publish them, sign away their copyright for nothing, and get nothing but (perhaps) a few bones thrown to them by their departments and the glossy magazines. A few of them have to be made famous, to manufacture the appearance of living field, so everyone clamors for those few spots. But even those at the top of the field are still toadies to the system, promulgating the long lie that science is healthy, productive, and moving forward. Which makes it all the more ironic when I am accused of vanity publishing for putting out my own website and books. The difference being, I own my own copyrights and take all my own profits, while having to bow to no one. The mainstream scientist has to bow to his department, his colleagues, his coauthors, his publishers, his reviewers, his editors, and all the other various academic police. His freedom to do anything new is zero, while mine is infinite. Which is precisely why I have done it and he hasn’t.
Which allows us to answer another question. Many of my readers haven’t understood why I have no support from mainstream physics. Even after they delve a bit deeper and come to see the incredible levels of control and coercion in the field, they still don’t understand it. Eric Weinstein – a hedge-fund guy promoted in 2013 as the next Einstein – admitted that coercion recently in one of his long interviews with Chris Williamson, even explicitly labeling it as fear. He was visiting some of his friends in the math department at Harvard (if I remember correctly), and one of them was complaining that no one felt free to speak (about the perceived death of physics). Why? Weinstein admits that, too: “there is an entire community of PhD trolls hunting people who dissent”. Weinstein say they are hunting people like Sabine Hossenfelder, but that is misdirection. She is a troll herself, so she has nothing to fear from those people. Everyone – including Eric Weinstein – knows I am target number one of this community of trolls. But Weinstein can’t mention my name because I have also outed him as a mole. It is turtles all the way down, you know.
One of my readers and supporters who has a background in the sciences but is retired and not a name in the field, said this to me two days ago, at my birthday party. He said he could understand why working physicists, chemists, or mathematicians would be afraid to mention me: their careers were in jeopardy and they had families to feed. But what about a retired professor emeritus? He has less to lose. Why hasn’t one of those people said a word in my defense? Well, we can now see it is because a professor emeritus in science was of this type to start with. It is why he progressed in the field. He did not ask questions and was not galled by being a slave to these publishers and other overseers. He and I are completely different types of people, and his retiring will not bring him closer to me. He has embraced his servitude, or buried it deep, and – short of some sort of major conversion – will not relish having to transcend that. To put it simply, their years in the field under this rubric have brainwashed most scientists to any alternative, so much so that most of them can’t read my papers without actual pain. A self-protective flight response is triggered, since reading any further would be to admit their entire academic lives have been wasted. More than one of them has admitted that to me in those words.
The strange thing about this new lawsuit is that Dr. Uddin has no co-authors. She calls this a class action, but no co-plaintiffs are listed. No one had the cojones to join her, which is typical. The field has been completely eviscerated, and not one person with any backbone remains. I even have my doubts about this Dr. Uddin, since it occurs to me this lawsuit – like many others we have researched – may be a planned fail. If she loses this, they can then use her loss to further discourage the field, and warn off any other scientists from trying this.
We have seen this many times: they fake a court case and a judgment, and all those who were thinking of suing along the same lines – in this case the Sherman Antitrust Law – will think again. They won’t be able to find attorneys, since attorneys will see this fake judgment and beg off.
But it doesn’t matter, because as I have proved, the way around these publishers wasn’t via a lawsuit, it was via the internet and direct publishing. You can lose decades fighting these huge companies in court, and that is how they want it. It is one more part of the beast. But you can walk around the beast with no effort, no matter how many scary heads he may appear to have.
Addendum: I got an interesting email today, Sept. 21, confirming my analysis above once again from someone in the jaws of the beast. Here it is:
Hi Miles, Today’s “Walking Around the Hounds of Hell” was terrific. It cuts close to home for us academics who haven’t had the balls or brilliance (yet!) to cut ourselves free from the abominable institutions we work for and that fund our research….
With postgraduate degrees in mathematics, I got in via your calculus papers – how I first found you, on an alternative health site where one of your fans posted a link to your article arguing that Leibniz/Newtonian limit calculations were wrong. Then I read your corrections to Newton, Einstein, the pi paper, etc, before discovering your “All updates” page. I’d already noticed I was more skeptical about current events like 9/11 than most of my colleagues – and that many questions were off-limits in the academy, even asking basic questions of logic, physics etc.
Your critiques of “us” sell-outs and mostly mid-wits, not smart or insightful enough to have ever had a real shot at making significant contributions to science/art/knowledge, are spot-on. The most mediocre, unimaginative and willing-to-lie amongst us are the ones promoted into leadership positions for the most part. Some smarter ones carve out niches where they can do some “interesting” work within prescribed boundaries or do insignificant stuff where the world leaves us alone while the salary continues. That failure in moral reasoning, turning away from the desire to know by accepting so many boundaries and power-plays (including from the journal publishing industry), deserves your criticisms. It’s cathartic to read about your freedom, having “walked around” the beast rather than tried to compromise or become part of it.
I forgot to mention (because I didn’t want to go on and on) that your unification of the Lagrangian and the charge field were supreme moments of inspiration for me. Although physics is not my field, I do work with mathematical “dynamical systems modeling” with “emergent phenomena” and think I’m in a good position to see the validity of your critiques about obfuscation with math modeling that doesn’t represent the real-world phenomena of interest and appreciate your singularly important contributions to physics. Makes me want to “walk around” too.
Miles Mathis is an American renaissance man, realist painter, physics innovator, and cultural revisionist. You can visit his events analysis site at https://mileswmathis.com/updates.html and his science site at https://milesmathis.com/updates.html .

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by Grow Up Conference | Sep 27, 2024 | Media Partners, Stratcann
Four Canadian cannabis companies made the Globe & Mail’s annual Report on Business, ranking Canada’s top growing companies.
In its fifth year, the annual report ranks 416 participating private and public Canadian businesses on three-year revenue growth.
The list includes three companies behind some of Canada’s largest retail chains: 1CM, which is the parent company of retail chains T Cannabis and Cost Cannabis; SNDL, which operates Superette, Spiritleaf, and Value Buds (as well as cannabis production); and High Tide, the parent company of the Canna Cabana chain of retailers.
In addition to SNDL’s footprint on the cannabis production side of the industry, the list also includes cannabis producer Avant Brands (BLKMKT, Tenzo, Treehugger, GreenTec, and cognoscente).
Located in Markham, Ontario, 1CM ranked 6th out of 416 companies with 116 employees and between $25M-$50M in revenue in 2023. The company is listed as a “vice retailer” touching the liquor, cannabis, tobacco, and vapes sectors. As of late 2023, 1CM operated 29 retail locations in Alberta, BC, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. It also listed four locations in development in Ontario.
The company also operates a technology platform that provides B2B and B2C solutions such as Last Mile Delivery, Digital Signage, Big Data Analytics & Wholesale Clearing Services.
Alberta’s SNDL is ranked as the 34th top company in the annual report, with 2,600 employees and 2023 revenue between $750 million and $1 billion. In addition to its retail assets Value Buds, Spiritleaf, Superette, and Firesale, SNDL also produces cannabis and manages several investments, including Canadian cannabis companies like Indiva and Delta 9.
Also based in Alberta, High Tide ranked 87th on the Globe & Mail’s list, with 1,600 employees and 2023 revenue between $250M – $500M
While the majority of High Tide’s sales are in the Canadian market through its Canna Cabana retail chain, it also operates its e-commerce platforms in the US such as Smoke Cartel, Grasscity, Daily High Club, DankStop, NuLeaf Naturals and FABCBD, as well as USA sales on its international e-commerce platforms. In addition, High Tide operates a warehouse that primarily services its e-commerce operations.
Lastly, BC-based Avant Brands (formerly GTEC Holdings) reached the 182nd spot on the list, with 200 employees and 2023 revenue between $25M and $50M.
Avant and High Tide made the list of 425 in 2023, along with Toronto’s Cronos Group. This is the first time 1CM and SNDL have made the cut, Avant’s second and High Tide’s fourth.
The Globe & Mail’s Report on Business Ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies ranks qualifying independent Canadian companies by the percentage of their revenue growth over three years. The application deadline for the 2025 ranking is May 23, 2025.
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by Grow Up Conference | Sep 27, 2024 | Cannabis News Wire, Media Partners
Marijuana leaders need to use sound financial techniques when operating in the cannabis sector. Given the complexities of the space, companies must devise strategies such as establishing relationships with field experts and looking for fresh revenue streams to differentiate themselves and remain competitive.
Here are five crucial financial pointers for marijuana company owners:
Focus on increasing cash flow
Maintaining a healthy cash flow is essential for any marijuana company. This entails keeping a careful eye on earnings and outlays in addition to monitoring key performance indicators such as yield per square foot for growers or average sales per customer for retailers.
A lot of new operators tend to hire too many staff members too soon or invest in pointless facility improvements. Nonetheless, companies can attain profitability more quickly and guarantee long-term financial stability by carefully controlling these costs without compromising on quality or service.
Keep accurate financial records
Clear and accurate financial records are essential for the smooth running of a cannabis business. These records not only help in regulatory compliance but are also vital for attracting investors or obtaining loans.
Hiring accountants who understand the specifics of the industry is a smart move to ensure that financial records are both detailed and correct. Regularly tracking and reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs) also provides insights that can guide decision-making and help the business adjust to changes.
Refine tax strategy
The tax regulations in the marijuana industry are complex, making it essential to work with tax professionals who are well-versed in cannabis laws. Understanding Section 280E and how it impacts your business can help reduce unnecessary tax liabilities.
Tax responsibilities can be reduced by allocating expenses to the cost of goods sold, but it’s crucial to make sure that all tax procedures adhere to legal requirements. Staying informed about regulatory changes and preparing to adapt quickly can give your businesses an edge.
Be compliant
Compliance in the cannabis sector isn’t just a legal necessity — it’s a core part of business success. A cannabis license is often the most valuable asset a business holds, so protecting it should be a top priority.
Having a knowledgeable staff that is familiar with industry rules can help a company stay ahead of compliance problems. It’s also important to stay updated on the rules in every area you operate, as they can differ greatly from one state or municipality to another.
Build solid banking relationships
Given the challenges cannabis businesses face in accessing banking services, it’s vital to establish strong relationships with financial institutions that understand the industry’s unique needs.
Look for banks that not only offer the necessary services but also provide reasonable fees. Some institutions may charge higher rates due to the nature of the business, so it’s wise to compare options.
Finding a bank that offers interest-bearing accounts can also be beneficial by adding an extra revenue stream without additional costs. Always work with trustworthy institutions to ensure transparency and minimize risks.
Each marijuana company is different, and entities such as Curaleaf Holdings Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) are likely to come up with their own unique ways of making use of the strategies above as they aim to keep their finances in the best possible health.
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by Grow Up Conference | Sep 27, 2024 | Grow Opportunity, Media Partners
By Wayne Doyle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, BarrieToday.com
Locked in a multi-year battle that has cost the municipality more than $800,000 in legal fees, Oro-Medonte Township can now close the book on how to deal with Medical Saints’ cannabisoperation on the outskirts of Shanty Bay.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, township council passed a bylaw that spells out what’s allowed, based on the Ontario Land Tribunal decision, issued on July 17, and Ontario Land Tribunal order, issued on July 19.
“I want to thank staff, the public and my colleagues for undertaking these negotiations and coming to a negotiated settlement and avoiding another costly litigation in court before the Ontario Land Tribunal, where, we’ve noticed from time to time, that the results are not necessarily predictable,” Deputy Mayor Peter Lavoie told council.
“In any case, I think we’ve come to a very good agreement that provides as much protection as possible for the residents and may not have otherwise resulted in as much protections as this current agreement reaches,” he added.
“Nobody got exactly what they wanted, but we came to an amicable solution, which is, I truly believe, sustainable as well,” said Mayor Randy Greenlaw.
Conditions defined in the new bylaw include:
- one single detached dwelling is permitted;
- the outdoor and indoor growing and production of cannabisare permitted, including processing activities related to harvesting, sorting, trimming, drying and storing;
- a cannabis production and processing facility is permitted;
- On-site retail packaging and retail sale of cannabis are prohibited;
- A new building containing a maximum of 9,290 square metres (100,000 square feet) of floor area devoted to the indoor growing of cannabis plants restricted to a non-flowering state of vegetation only. (The landowner would have to apply for and obtain site-plan approval, enter into a development agreement, provide any securities required and address a variety of issues including stormwater management, and the mitigation of odour, light and noise impacts to the satisfaction of the township, in consultation with the landowner.)
- West setback (Line 2) — a line parallel to Line 2 that is either 172 metres east of the Line 2 road allowance or 130 metres east from the existing easternmost main residential house, whichever is closer to Line 2.
- South setback — a line parallel to the rail trail that is 150 metres north of the rail-trail property line.
- East setback (Line 3) — 12 metres from the Line 3 road allowance, unless otherwise specified.
BarrieToday reached out to Medical Saints for comment, but the company did not respond.
“This is the final step in the implementation of the settlement that was achieved for Medical Saints’ property related to the cannabis bylaw,” said Brent Spagnol, the township’s director of development services.
“This process is administrative and it does not have any bearing on the content or spirit of the settlement or the parameters of the zoning bylaw that was approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal,” he added.
by Grow Up Conference | Sep 27, 2024 | Cannabis News Wire, Media Partners
Last year, Destiny Brown was told that she had been recruited to operate and own a small marijuana dispensary in Missouri. Michael Halow, a marijuana investor, informed Brown that the cannabis crime on the criminal record of her father and her status as a disabled veteran made her qualified for a microbusiness license.
These qualifications had been designed for licenses like these to be awarded to disadvantaged owners of businesses, such as individuals with nonviolent cannabis offenses and lower incomes, as well as those who are disabled veterans.
Brown, a Black woman, was also under the impression that she would get paid $200,000 to run the business. To her disadvantage, she failed to read the contract she signed with Halow closely. What he hadn’t mentioned was the fact that he would have complete ownership/control of this business and she would simply be the legally known front. Halow, who has a felony conviction on his record, cannot legally hold a license.
A transcript obtained from her interview with investigators at the Division of Cannabis Regulation also reveals that Halow repeatedly told her he would give her $2 million to start and operate the business. Once Brown was awarded her license, she tried to extricate herself from the situation, but her hands seemed tied. According to the agreements she’d signed, she wouldn’t be permitted to sell even one cannabis product in the state until she repaid the $2 million in full (plus interest), or ownership changed to Halow.
A promissory note as well as memo of understanding also afforded Halow a right to convert the loan he’d give Brown to 100% of membership interest.
Brown is one of the 16 individuals who won the lottery for microbusiness licenses in October 2023. Six of these licenses were linked to Halow and have since been revoked. A deep dive found that Cannabis Business Advisors, Halow’s consulting company, was the liaison on more than 400 of the dispensary applicants.
Halow isn’t the only individual applying this strategy either.
Recently obtained contracts reveal that marijuana industry insiders or out-of-state companies have tried to leverage qualified individuals to acquire licenses while excluding them from the profits. This comes after another expose found that a firm based in Michigan was recruiting individuals on Craigslist to enter the license lottery, then using contracts to force the individuals to give up all control and profits.
The equity program, as pitched to voters in Missouri, was an avenue to help those disproportionately affected by the war on drugs to gain a foothold in this growing industry. While it was a good idea in theory, it seems nobody anticipated the emergence of exploitation and these predatory and unfair contracts.
These stories of predatory contracts in Missouri must be distressing to established cannabis companies in other U.S. markets, such as SNDL Inc. (NASDAQ: SNDL), given the effort, time and resources expended in fighting against prohibition. To see that unscrupulous individuals are trying to the abuse the social-equity programs is disturbing for everyone who wishes the industry well.
About CannabisNewsWire
CannabisNewsWire (“CNW”) is a specialized communications platform with a focus on cannabis news and the cannabis sector. It is one of 60+ brands within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio @ IBN that delivers: (1) access to a vast network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to efficiently and effectively reach a myriad of target markets, demographics and diverse industries; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ outlets; (3) enhanced press release enhancement to ensure maximum impact; (4) social media distribution via IBN to millions of social media followers; and (5) a full array of tailored corporate communications solutions. With broad reach and a seasoned team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that want to reach a wide audience of investors, influencers, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where breaking news, insightful content and actionable information converge.
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by Grow Up Conference | Sep 27, 2024 | Cannabis News Wire, Media Partners
The NY Cannabis Insider conference was hosted at the Crowne Plaza, The Desmond Hotel, in Albany, New York, on September 25, 2024. The state’s premier cannabis event saw a great turnout of over 100 enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, marketers, traders, attorneys, and consultants, from throughout the cannabis industry.
The entry ticket covered all access to the all-day conference, happy hour and lunch, entry to the vendor fair, and offered wonderful opportunity to connect directly with leaders in the cannabis industry. Select vendors arranged for complimentary consultation sessions for attendees.
With evolutions imminent in the cannabis industry, the NY Cannabis Conference provided a powerful forum where thought leaders, giant investors, cannabis professionals, and traders could gather, interact, and discuss the new regulations, trends, upcoming technologies, and cover several points that will pave the way for the future of the cannabis trade. The conference also saw several new collaborations and alliances impacting different aspects of the cannabis industry.
Sponsors and vendors showcased their ideas and products and made important industry connections. Attendees got a chance to get their queries answered by the experts.
Some industry topics that were discussed at length include:
- The state of NY cannabis
- How nationwide legalization could affect U.S. cannabis cultivation
- Branding via community
- Collaborating for success
- Opportunities for innovation in the medical market
- Playing devil’s advocate with medical market
The NY Cannabis Insider conference hosted panel discussions throughout the day listening, interacting, and sharing insights from all quarters ranging from current retailers including CAURD and SEE participants to AUCC/AUCP licensees, legacy operators, and more. Industry dignitaries graced the event presiding over the speaker sessions. They shared their wisdom and unique experiences on relevant topics that impact the cannabis industry.
To learn more about the conference, visit https://cnw.fm/rcwDz. For more information, follow NY Cannabis Insider on LinkedIn for important industry news and event announcements.
About CannabisNewsWire
CannabisNewsWire (“CNW”) is a specialized communications platform with a focus on cannabis news and the cannabis sector. It is one of 60+ brands within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio @ IBN that delivers: (1) access to a vast network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to efficiently and effectively reach a myriad of target markets, demographics and diverse industries; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ outlets; (3) enhanced press release enhancement to ensure maximum impact; (4) social media distribution via IBN to millions of social media followers; and (5) a full array of tailored corporate communications solutions. With broad reach and a seasoned team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that want to reach a wide audience of investors, influencers, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where breaking news, insightful content and actionable information converge.
To receive SMS alerts from CNW, text CANNABIS to 888-902-4192 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only)
For more information, please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com/Disclaimer
CannabisNewsWire
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303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com
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by Grow Up Conference | Sep 27, 2024 | Media Partners, Stratcann

September 26, 2024 |
Staff
Calgary Police are asking for help from the public in identifying a man believed to be behind up to seven robberies targeting cannabis and liquor stores in the city.
In a notice shared on September 26, Calgary Police Services say six robberies of cannabis stores and one liquor store occurred from Tuesday, July 30, 2024, to Tuesday, September 24, 2024. They believe the man they are seeking is responsible for those robberies.
Authorities shared several images of the man in different stores, hoping someone could help identify the man.
Police say the suspect is believed to have entered several businesses, inquired about the products, and then fled with stolen items. In some instances, the suspect is said to have also threatened the store employees with a gun, demanded cash, and fled with an undisclosed amount of money and stolen merchandise.
The suspect is described as a man, approximately 25 years old, between 5’9” and 5’11” tall, with a medium build. The suspect is believed to have worn various distinctive outfits during the robberies that police believe may help identify them, such as:
- A black cowboy hat with silver detail on the band, black mirrored sunglasses, a black windbreaker, black jeans, black Sketchers sneakers and was carrying a black backpack.
- A black jacket with neon-yellow and white reflective material, black pants, a red and black toque, neon-yellow gloves, black mirrored sunglasses, black shoes and was carrying a black backpack.
- A black hooded jacket, black pants, black mirrored sunglasses, black shoes and was carrying a black backpack.
- A blue zip-up hoodie, a white shirt, a black and white Calgary Flames baseball cap, beige pants, blue and white runners, and was carrying a black backpack.
Anyone who has information about these incidents or knows the identity of the suspect is asked to call the police non-emergency line at 403-266-1234. More information can be found here.
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