Humans have utilized many materials for their homes throughout the ages, from wood to metal to concrete. But what about hemp?

Just BioFiber Structural Solutions, an Airdrie, Alberta-based company, has been utilizing hempcrete blocks made primarily from hemp hurd, lime and water. Hemp hurd comes primarily from the woody inner parts of the stalk of industrial hemp. While there are a few other forms of hempcrete, BioFiber is currently the only company in the world using insulated blocks.

The company has built a handful of hempcrete houses in British Coumbia, and currently is in the process of finalizing engineering tests to be listed in the National Building Code of Canada.

Some growers say ‘ghost houses’ are popping up across the country as production gets ahead of the demand for cannabis.

Producers like Boaz Pharmaceuticals say cannabis is growing faster than the number of stores opening so there’s too much supply.

“It was mostly a surprise to everyone that they weren’t able to sell and ship the amount of product so we’re hearing terms of ‘ghost houses’ which are greenhouses that the big LPs (licensed producer) aren’t growing anymore.”

Insurance is a steep cost for the new retail cannabis industry, says a central Alberta business owner.

Matt Panelli, co-owner of Lacombe’s Merry Guana, said it was difficult to get an insurance quote when he first started his business last fall.

He and his partner were only able to get quotes from two companies.

“The first quote we got was five times the amount a liquor store would pay for similar coverage, and the other one was two-and-a-half times,” said Panelli.

“So we have to pay two-and-a-half times what a liquor store pays, even though all of our product has to be stored in a vault that we had to build – it’s essentially like a bank vault.”

Grasslands Taber Cooperative CEO Lindsay Blackett, a former Alberta PC government cabinet minister will start the country's first cannabis cooperative ready to take root in Taber on Thursday, November 14, 2019. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia

As grain elevators tumble to time, a terminal accepting cannabis shipments could soon be a replacement on the southern Alberta prairie.

That’s the goal of a group behind what they say is the country’s first craft cannabis collective, one that’ll host growers, processors, researchers and other links in the pot production and supply chain on 25 hectares of land in Taber.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. is halting construction of two production facilities to save over $190 million as part of a plan to strengthen its balance sheet.

The Edmonton-based cannabis producer says it will immediately cease construction of its Aurora Nordic 2 facility in Denmark to save about $80 million over the next year.

The company will also indefinitely defer completion of construction and commissioning at its Aurora Sun facility in Medicine Hat, Alberta to conserve $110 million.

Once completed, the Aurora Sun facility will be the size of 21 football fields and 50 per cent larger than its "Aurora Sky" operation at Edmonton International Airport.

As grain elevators tumble to time, a terminal accepting cannabis shipments could soon be a replacement on the southern Alberta prairie.

That’s the goal of a group behind what they say is the country’s first craft cannabis collective, one that’ll host growers, processors, researchers and other links in the pot production and supply chain on 25 hectares of land in Taber.

“It’s like a concept of rural Alberta, raising a barn,” said Grasslands Taber Cooperative CEO Lindsay Blackett, a former Alberta PC government cabinet minister.

“It’ll operate like a cooperative — people can do it without it costing an arm and a leg, they can get their feedstock and they don’t have to leave the grounds.”

Mistakes were made.

Canadian provinces went their own way when establishing a legal framework for cannabis and some have found considerably more success than others.

The Cannalysts, an independent analysis firm, released data this week showing that if Ontario had followed Alberta’s model, the province would have stimulated an extra $325 million in economic activity. On a yearly basis, the analysis notes, the province is missing out on around $488 million more, in addition to $75 million in taxes.

Cannabis growers in Alberta are about to be hit with higher taxes.

The province is changing the rules, so pot producers are no longer treated like farms, which pay zero in municipal taxes.

Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu made the announcement Wednesday at the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) convention.

“This change responds directly to the concerns of municipalities, who asked for this distinction in provincial tax regulations. While cannabis is a burgeoning industry, it is important that cannabis-production facilities, which are heavy users of municipal services, pay their share for those services.”

Edmonton-area Freedom Cannabis will be growing cannabis using energy partly generated from what it claims is the biggest rooftop solar panel installation in the country.

“It’s an exciting time for all of us to see all our work come to fruition and to be sharing this milestone together,” said Troy Dezwart, executive director and co-founder of Freedom Cannabis, who will flip the ceremonial switch on Tuesday.

A total of 4,574 solar modules energized in the next few weeks will produce a maximum capacity of 1,830 kW for the company’s 126,000 square foot facility in Acheson, 20 kilometres west of Edmonton. It cost $2.6 million, and took about 2-1/2 months to install.