While the fight to qualify for Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) compensation amid the COVID-19 outbreak continues, licensed cannabis producers may be able to get up to $500,000 in short-term loans under a new $5 billion Farm Credit Canada (FCC) stimulus.

Leaders of Canada’s cannabis industry are pleading with the federal government for help to curb the damage the coronavirus pandemic is having on the sector.

Cannabis companies are currently left out of the federal government’s $82 billion stimulus package, something Rick Savone, SVP Global Government Relations for Aurora Cannabis Inc, hopes will change sooner rather than later.

“Those measures the government has announced, albeit early measures, still don’t seem to exclude many people but they definitely exclude the cannabis industry,” Savone said, adding Aurora Cannabis alone employs nearly 3,000 people.

“Were in a crisis where there’s no more time to deliberate these things,” he said.

The Green Organic Dutchman (TGOD) is the latest Canadian cannabis company to scale back its operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Toronto-based cannabis producer said in a statement late Wednesday it will postpone production at its facility in Valleyfield, Que. and temporarily lay off staff, but noted it intends to restart its operations later this year. The company will also reduce salary by 20 per cent for its salaried employees and 30 per cent for certain executive staff and place a freeze on hiring and consultancy work.

"Multiple factors, most particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, are contributing to an environment in which we must be extremely prudent with how we manage our cost structure," said TGOD chief executive officer Brian Athaide.

It might seem like strange timing to launch a business in the middle of a pandemic, but for many small Canadian businesses delaying a store opening isn’t a option financially. 

On Friday, cannabis retailer Kiaro opened the doors to its new location in Port Moody, British Columbia, the same day the neighbouring city of Vancouver introduced fines of up to $1,000 for individuals and $50,000 for businesses caught not respecting mandated social distancing guidelines. 

The opening was bittersweet, Kiaro president of operations Eleanor Lynch said. While the company was excited to open its doors in what she calls a cannabis desert — an area without any other legal stores — it also built up to the day by encouraging customers to stay home. 

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has received hundreds of N95 respirators from Aurora Cannabis as the Alberta-based company looks at how it can best fight COVID-19.

Rick Savone, Aurora’s senior vice-president of global government relations, said the company has donated 200 of the much-needed face masks for AHS to use as they want. He believes they will be used to directly support frontline health-care workers.

“We’re part of the community in Edmonton and in communities across Canada and we’re as concerned as anybody about what is going on and feel we need to do our part,” said Savone.

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Although the coronavirus has significantly impacted the retail landscape in Canada, demand for cannabis remains strong as dispensaries work to implement procedures to keep employees and customers safe.

Earlier reports have suggested that Canadian cannabis retailers are reporting an unprecedented surge in demand for cannabis as consumers stock up on product just in case the country is shutdown. This comes as retailers have modified their business models to allow for online ordering and delivery services.

Mohawk communities in Canada have closed their cannabis dispensaries and tobacco shops in an effort to reduce the flow of visitors amid the continuing outbreak of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. But despite the move, non-Indigenous people continue to visit, worrying residents that the virus will show up in their communities.

In this COVID-19 era, people throughout the northeast are having a challenging time finding stores that have toilet paper in stock.

Now, for a limited time only, Sudburians can turn to cannabis retailer High Life.

High Life, located in New Sudbury, saw the struggles many in the community were having and decided to reach out to their industry supply chain to see if they could help.

"It was very difficult to obtain such a basic item in Sudbury," says Eugene Konarev, the store's owner. "Since we can buy quite a bit from a channel that we found, let’s give it away. Let’s be a good neighbour and let’s help the community while there is none here."

One sector of the business world that has seen a much-needed spike during the coronavirus pandemic is cannabis sales, which are hitting new highs as people stockpile pot while electing or being ordered to stay home.

Sales for the week of March 16-22 show cannabis markets in California, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska — all legal recreational markets — were up 50%, while medicinal sales rose 41% for the week year over year.

Nonessential businesses across the U.S. and Canada have been ordered temporarily shut down or had their operations restricted to help combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has now killed more than 800 people in the two countries (though, less than 30 are in Canada).

The cannabis industry has gone through a rough period lately. After building extremely high expectations in 2018 with the legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada, marijuana stocks suffered significant losses in 2019. Just when it looked as though 2020 might be a better year for the cannabis industry, disruptions related to the coronavirus outbreak added new challenges.