Officials at the sod turning in Taber on November 15, 2019 (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

Sod turning for new cannabis, hemp and agri-food facility takes place in Taber

Nov 16, 2019 | 8:13 AM

TABER, AB – It was a special day in Taber on Friday as officials held a sod turning for the Grasslands Taber Cooperative’s (GLTC) Premium Park project.

The plan marks the development of what’s described as Canada’s first craft cannabis and hemp premium supply chain.

The complex will feature facilities and services that include the cultivation, extraction, processing and distribution of regulated, legal cannabis, hemp and agri-food products on 60 acres in the Taber Eureka Industrial Subdivision.

This will give budding producers a place to share ideas and create new products.

Lindsay Blackett, GLTC’s CEO, said they’ve already garnered interest from American companies that could set up shop within the complex.

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“[We’re] focused on providing a premium quality product as opposed to a race to the bottom like everybody else, and Taber embodies that spirit one hundred percent,” he said.

“We’re in the premiere food corridor, with access to canola, lentils, sugar beets, corn, hemp etcetera – that’s the products that are going to go in. We’re focused on cannabis, hemp and agri-food, not just cannabis so those different crops provide the feedstock for some of those products, and we’re going to end up with a lot of different companies here making their products and we’re going to help them all distribute those [no matter where they go].”

Blackett said that if you start with a “quality product and quality people”, success is possible.

But when “you’re trying to dominate the world” and are not focused on creating a quality product, you can be met with failure.

He explained that discussions have been ongoing with the Town for a couple of months and they’re serving as partners for the project, giving the GLTC an extra confidence boost.

The construction and full set-up of the expansive facility will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $80-to-$100 million, according to Blackett.

In the end, he says, it will all be worth it and expects 200 or so jobs to be created from the project.

“We want to be an incubator. Not everybody has $2 million to start their cannabis business, but they can afford to lease out a space which has all the equipment, has all the staff, their utilities covered – their water and power at a reasonable price. We’re trying to eliminate the barriers of entry. We want to make it easy for them to do to get in, we want to make it easy for them to operate. We will help them with shared services,” he said, adding that means assisting entrepreneurs with tasks such as filling out their Health Canada licensing application.

Tu further ensure the project’s success, Blackett said the GLTC will invite Health Canada to become involved, to share ideas on how they can improve on the process from going “from seed to sale”.

As for any concerns that may arise from a complex like this in the community, he said they’re in the industrial park for a reason – they’re not near a hospital, school or residential area.

“The word cannabis is not something that’s embraced by everybody, but I’d say that it’s [a] cannabis, hemp and agri-foods [facility],” he added.

“We’re not looking just to grow it so we can go and smoke up. What we’re trying to do is provide high-end products that are going to help people in their daily lives.”

Blackett said development permits on the first three of seven buildings will hopefully be ready by December, but any construction will have to wait until the ground thaws, likely in April.

He added that most businesses are expected to begin operating in the facility in 2021.