A second Crown corporation tasked with helping prop up the Canadian economy during the COVID-19 pandemic is giving cannabis companies the cold shoulder. 

hree members of Parliament and 74 Canadian cannabis industry professionals are calling on the federal government to include the cannabis sector in Ottawa’s COVID-19 relief funds.

Last week, Tantalus Labs CEO Dan Sutton tweeted the cannabis industry was being excluded from the federal government’s $10 billion in loans to support the Canadian economy.

On Thursday, Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies sent a letter to Minister of Finance William Morneau calling the exclusion “economic stigmatization” while urging for federal support of the cannabis industry. The letter was co-signed by MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith and MP Scott Reid. All three MPs co-chair the Parliamentary Cannabis Caucus. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is shuttering businesses across the country, but the Canadian cannabis sector continues to be left out of economic relief plans. 

Earlier this month, a senior account manager from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) notified Dan Sutton, the CEO of Vancouver’s Tantalus Labs, that “we do not do business with cannabis firms at the time.” The news came after the BDC and the Export Development Canada (EDC) had announced additional loans and liquidity were coming for Canadian businesses. 

Last Thursday, the co-chairs for the Parliamentary Cannabis Caucus wrote a letter to Finance Minister Bill Morneau asking the federal government to include the Canadian cannabis sector in Ottawa’s plans. 

It could be shaping up to be a bad year for the black market.

A briefing book prepared for Bill Blair, the federal public safety minister, shows that Ottawa is very much pursuing its options when it comes to the illicit market, according to Marijuana Business Daily.

A redacted version of the book, dated last November, was posted to the internet last week and details some of the ministry’s priorities.

Licensed cannabis stores will remain open in Ontario during a provincial emergency shutdown of non-essential businesses designed to limit the spread of COVID-19, according to two sources directly familiar with the matter. 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Monday that all non-essential businesses in the province will be required to shut down effective Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. for a period of at least 14 days. A list of businesses that will remain open will be released Tuesday, the government said in a release. 

Both sources, who declined to be named since the decision hasn't been made official, confirmed that cannabis retailers made the cut and will be deemed essential when the province releases its list of businesses that can remain open during the 14-day shutdown. 

Islanders don’t appear ready to put any distance between them and their supply of pot and booze.

The provincial government is exploring ways to turn the taps back on after announcing it was “disappointed in Islanders’ response,” to the decision to close all liquor and cannabis stores as of 2 p.m. local time on Thursday. Long lines soon formed at stores around the province on word the time to stock up was nearing an end.

Edmonton police are taking their fight against illegal cannabis online, but some sellers are still evading the rules.

Police say they have begun taking over more than 100 domains for websites selling illegal cannabis this week. Websites display a message indicating the domain has been seized and asking visitors with information to contact police. Recreational cannabis can only be legally purchased online from Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) in this province.

At least one vendor seems to have circumvented the shutdown. Getkush.ca was seized by police this week, but a post on the company’s Facebook page indicates it changed its domain on Monday. The new website is still active.

As the Covid 19 quarantine measure continue, President Trump tweeted, “We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our northern border with Canada.” He said trade would not be affected. However, many cannabis companies have operations in both countries.

The CBD industry is booming and shows signs of not going away anytime soon. While more and more businesses continue to incorporate the compound with differing levels of success, people continue to be as intrigued by CBD as ever, finding it accessible enough to want to incorporate it into their lives, be that for health or fun.

With this environment in mind, it’s important for employers to understand the compound and the benefits and hindrances it could provide for employees. Since CBD has connections with marijuana and the legality of that topic remains complex, it’s best if employers are just as informed as users who consume the compound. Here are 5 things employers should know about CBD: