P.E.I. cannabis producer FIGR is expanding its facility, located in Charlottetown — a move that will allow it to increase its production by 20 times. 

The company received approval from Health Canada last week for a licence amendment to allow the facility to operate an additional 210,000 square feet. 

About 46,000 square feet of the added space will be dedicated to processing, and 164,000 square feet will be dedicated to growing marijuana.

Currently, FIGR produces 1,200 and 1,400 kilograms of marijuana per year. The expansion will allow it to produce 28,000 kilograms per year said Alex Smith, the chief financial officer and vice-president of operations for FIGR on P.E.I.

Smith said additional space means more workers.

"Our current staff is now up to 80 people. When our new space is operating at 100 per cent capacity we will have over 200 staff. Eighteen months ago we had less than 30 staff," he wrote in an email to CBC.

The company anticipates having more than 200 employees by mid 2020.

The additional space will allow FIGR to expand production of its current product lines — pre-rolls, flowers, and oils — as well as launch new products to meet consumer demand, a release from the company said.

Phase 2 in progress

This is just the first phase of the planned expansion the FIGR in Charlottetown.

The second and final part of the expansion is also nearing completion.

"Second-phase construction should be completed by the end-of-year 2019. We will then have to receive another amendment from Health Canada, so we estimate that space will become operational in spring 2020," Smith wrote.

When that phase is complete it will bring production up to 43,000 kilograms annually, he said.

FIGR is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of global agriculture company Pyxus International.