'So often in government we are reacting to things, instead of getting in front of things'

The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce is already working on a policy to deal with the impact that legalized marijuana could have in the workplace.

The federal government has promised to table legislation this spring but it could take much longer for the bill to be studied and eventually passed into law.

"This is coming at us now, this is going to happen, there is going to be legalization of marijuana," said chamber CEO Janet Riopel.

"So this is something that has very much hit our radar, and especially in safety-sensitive workplaces, employers have said marijuana use is inconsistent with safe work places."

Two more licensed medical marijuana producers have voluntarily recalled hundreds of grams of the drug after traces of a controversial pesticide banned in Canada were detected in their supply, raising questions about Ottawa’s oversight of an industry expected to explode with the upcoming legalization of cannabis.

Last week, Organigram, a publicly traded grower based in Moncton, expanded a Dec. 28 recall of a small amount of product to include almost all of its cannabis buds and oils produced in 2016.

With cannabis legalization coming down the pipe in 2017, Premier Rachel Notley said input from Albertans will help set the minimum age to purchase marijuana.

Notley weighed in on weed legalization following a report released by the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation recommending a national minimum age of 18 to purchase marijuana. The report also said provinces and territories should be allowed to “harmonize” the minimum age for cannabis with their minimum age for purchasing alcohol and tobacco.

“Not everyone is going to agree, but I think it’s really important that we do engage (with Albertans) because I know lots of families are concerned about safety on (marijuana),” Notley said.

A medical marijuana company says it is expanding production with a massive new grow facility at the Edmonton International Airport.

Aurora Cannabis says the airport is close to customs for importing the supplies and equipment it needs and the location will make it easier to export pot to its customers in Canada and eventually to other countries where marijuana is legal.

The company says the 74,000-square-metre facility, called Aurora Sky, will be larger than 16 football fields and will be capable of producing more than 100,000 kilograms of cannabis per year.

Aurora vice-president Cam Battley said the new operation will help meet growing demand for medical marijuana and position it to supply recreational pot once it is legalized by the federal government.

A medical marijuana supplier says it has broken ground in Leduc County, south of Edmonton, on what will be the world's largest legal pot grow operation.

"Our objectives are very clear: to build the largest production capacity, with the highest production quality and the lowest production cost," Steve Dobler, president of Aurora Cannabis Inc., said in a news release.

Aurora is building a 800,000-sq.-ft. production facility — larger than 16 football fields — on 30 acres of leased land in the county.

The company boasts "Aurora Sky" will be the largest, most advanced and most automated cannabis production facility in the world, capable of producing in excess of 100,000 kilograms of high quality marijuana per year.

Aurora Cannabis says it has started construction on a production facility in Leduc County that will be the size of 16 football fields when completed.

The 800,000-square-foot greenhouse, known as Aurora Sky, will be the largest of its kind, capable of producing 100,000 kilograms of cannabis annually, the Vancouver-based company said in a statement Wednesday. 

Construction is expected to be completed by October 2017, it said. The licensed medical marijuana producer already operates a 55,000-square-foot cannabis production plant near Cremona that could also be expanding.