Canada was promising to be a leader in legislation, cultivation and patient care and access throughout the industry but bureaucracy, bad manufacturing practices and lack of care have made Canada an unwilling example on how not to implement a successful cannabis strategy.

Recreational cannabis has been legal and available since 2018, yet two years on billions have been wiped off the values of the top Cannabis companies and why is the Canadian cannabis community still sourcing their much loved bud from the black market?

Prospective and current cannabis dispensary owners in Vancouver will see the cost to obtain or renew a business licence next year drop by more than half the current rate — but the reduced fee will still be the most expensive in B.C., if not Canada.

Currently, cannabis operators in Vancouver pay a one-time application fee of $99 and $33,958 for a business licence for a total payout of $34,057, according to a city staff report that went before council this week.

Council unanimously approved Tuesday a staff recommendation that will see a new retailer in 2022 pay a one-time application fee of $2,500 and $13,500 for a business licence; an existing retailer will only pay the $13,500 fee to operate.

Canadian cannabis producer Sundial Growers Inc. said it will buy liquor and pot retailer Alcanna Inc. for C$346 million ($276 million) in stock, building on a vertical-integration strategy of acquiring stores. 

Sundial, which is based in Calgary and listed on Nasdaq, will pay C$9.12 per Alcanna share, the companies said Thursday evening. 

Irwin Simon, the CEO of licensed producer Tilray, has earned US$13.2 million ($16.7 million) in cash bonuses this calendar year, according to a recent regulatory filing, first reported by Marijuana Business Daily. Formerly the CEO of Aphria, Simon was named CEO of Tilray after the two companies merged earlier this year. Simon earns a base salary of US$1.7 million ($2.1 million) but the filing shows his total compensation is more than US$28 million ($35.3 million). In July, Simon received “one-time equity grants” that totalled $15 million and were used as “additional incentive” to enter into an employment agreement. According to MJBizDaily, Tilray’s median employee compensation was US$15,061 (about $19,000).

 It's being billed as a unique “plant-to-consumer” experience.

"We provide all of the cultivation, processing and packaging services in our licensed facility in behind this building and bringing that great product to market under the Station House brand here to local consumers," said Tony Giorgi, founder and executive of Sensei Brands.

Station House Cannabis Co. by Sensei-Brands in St. Thomas, Ont. is the first store of its kind in southwestern Ontario, and the third in the entire province.

On Sept. 21, Creekside Cannabis on Mississauga First Nation, just west of Blind River, marked its first anniversary. However, it celebrated the event on Saturday, Sept. 25 with a barbecue, pop and cake. (Photo By Kevin Mcsheffrey/The Standard))

Paul Corbiere, manager of Creekside Cannabis, says Creekside Cannabis was the first cannabis store to open between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. It is licensed to operate by Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

Creekside Cannabis is managed by the Mississaugi Retail Cannabis Corporation, of which Mississauga First Nation is the sole shareholder. All the profits go back into the community, for such things as public works, education, health care and more, says Corbiere.

A group representing independent cannabis stores in Saskatchewan says pot retailers should be exempt from proof of vaccination requirements.

Last week, Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Association notified cannabis stores that their staff would need to ask customers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter stores, beginning Oct. 1.

The Saskatchewan Independent Cannabis Retails Network (SICRN) represents more than 30 cannabis retail locations.