Clearwater County Council has granted the first reading to a bylaw to clear the way for a 55,000 sq. foot micro-climate controlled cannabis facility southeast of Caroline.

Element GP Incorporated submitted an application to have the 157-acre location along Highway 22, just north of Secondary Highway 587, re-zoned from Agricultural to Light Industrial.

The applicants say the facility aims to source all electrical power, heat and air conditioning from Shell’s Caroline Gas Plant, which is only six and a half kilometers away.

The facility plans on using complex technology to destroy odor, recycle water, and a controlled CO2 system to improve plant photosynthesis.

It’s planned that roughly 11,000 marijuana plants will grow at the facility, producing just over thirty thousand kilograms of cannabis and more than a thousand kilograms of concentrates per year.

The company has applied to become a fully licensed producer of medical cannabis under Health Canada, and if successful could contribute nearly $100 million to the local GDP.

According to Element, the facility would create 200 full-time jobs, and 468 indirect jobs.

If the project moves forward, Element would also invest up to $1.2 million in community outreach programs in Clearwater County. The company plans on working with local schools and organizations to educate about marijuana agriculture and horticulture.

The next step is the second reading of the bylaw, and a public hearing in the next few weeks.