Merritt could be home to a massive cannabis cultivation facility by summer’s end if all goes according to a plan for an Alberta-based company hoping to set up shop in the Nicola Valley.
“Our goal is Sept. 31. If we have a license, we would be able to plant,” Dave Hellard said. “The time line is very tight, but we believe we can do it.”
Hellard and Geoff Thompson from Sundial Growers Inc. introduced their plan to develop a 300,000 square foot cultivation facility in Merritt, on city-owned property between the Merritt airport and Highway 5A, to members of council and city staff on March 18.
We were looking for a community … that has a positive attitude about growth.” – Dave Hellard
If they were to secure the land adjacent to the Merritt airport they would have room to eventually set up four 70,000 square foot pods — individual buildings larger than football fields — to grow and harvest various strains of cannabis.
The Calgary-based operation “will likely be the number three or number four largest cannabis company in the world,” Thompson told staff and council, noting they already have a large-scale facility in Olds, Alta., and have plans to expand into England and Portugal in addition to B.C.
“We were looking for a community that had the right size of population to be able to support the facilities that we are talking about. We were looking for a community that had some of the infrastructure required, in particular electricity and water,” Hellard said. “And a community that has a positive attitude about growth and about what it is we are doing.”
Along with their 300,000 square foot facility, the company could create more than 300 jobs in town, the pair announced.
“For a single pod we are probably going to be looking at over 100 people working during the six months of construction, just on construction. Once we start to hire, there will be about 85 individuals per pod,” Hellard said.
Coun. Tony Luck asked the representatives what the job requirements would be to work in the facility.
While there are no specific education requirements, the company would be looking for individuals with strong green thumbs. The pair estimated wages would be between $18 to $25 per hour.
The majority of the product cultivated in Merritt would be shipped to Olds for processing.
“Merritt is going to be unique to itself, we have some strains that we are going to be bringing in to Merritt that have been gold medal winners that we’re not producing in every facility,” Hellard said.
Coun. Melvina White asked about the potential odour of the facility, a concern she said has been brought to her attention by members of the community.
“I wish I could say there is absolutely no chance there will ever be smell, but I would be lying,” Hellard said. “There is odour, but what I will tell you is I believe we are taking extreme measures to minimize the amount of odour.”
Health Canada already has rules and regulations related to air leaving the grow rooms Hellard explained, and they are taking extra precautions to avoid any air escaping the building by accident.
All pods would be equipped with individual heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as air and water systems, Hellard added, which helps them single out a particular area if an issue arises.
The company’s flagship location in Olds is a lot closer to residents than it would be in Merritt, Hellard added, and the company has not experienced considerable odour issues with the community there — largely in part due to the millions they have invested into HVAC equipment, he said.
In addition, the location by the airport in Merritt is favourable for odour mitigation as the winds should typically blow the smell out of town, Hellard said — from west to east or north to southeast.
The City of Merritt’s council and department heads checked out the site for a proposed 300,000 square foot cultivation facility from the Merritt airport on March 18. (Dara Hill/Herald).
The proposal has yet to formally come to council, but the company representatives said the are finalizing their designs and said they will be ready to apply for development and building permits in the near future.
Things can get rolling quickly if there is commitment, Hellard said, noting it was almost exactly a year ago they were just starting to move dirt in Olds.
“Fast forward 12 months to today and we now have licensed 230,000 square feet of canopy and we are now planting or harvesting one room a day,” he said. “So that is the speed in which this industry is growing for those that really are taking the initiative.”
