Provincial police officers seized cannabis products and psilocybin with an estimated value of more than $155,000 when they raided the headquarters of an illicit online delivery service known as HerbertHaze operating in Pembroke and Petawawa on Thursday afternoon, the force says.

Three people from Petawawa were arrested.

Cannabis products including resin, edibles and the concentrate known as shatter were seized along with “a large quantity” of cash from the service, which was known as Potawawa420 until last month, police said. About $75,000 worth of property was also seized, including two vehicles.

Two men aged 42 and 49, and a 35-year-old woman face charges including possession of cannabis for the purpose of distribution and possession of the proceeds of crime.

West Nipissing has decided not to outlaw the smell of legally grown cannabis.

Municipal council voted down a proposed bylaw Tuesday night that would have required anyone growing cannabis to control the odour.

"People are going to have to get used to the smell of cannabis. The same way we got used to the smell of asphalt and traffic and cars and stuff," said West Nipissing councillor Jeremy Seguin.

"It's going to stink at first and some people may not adjust to it very quickly."

Councillor Lise Senecal, who first put this idea on the table two weeks ago, said the rights of everyone need to be respected.

"You cannot tell people 'Well, deal with it.' Because that's not the way it's working," she told council.​

While social programs have expanded immensely in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, government authorities have also relaxed many regulations that were once deemed near-impossible to change — such as when and where alcohol can be sold, or who is allowed to deliver cannabis to you.

From health-care licensing to food labelling, deregulation has become one of the responses to try and expedite otherwise lengthier approval processes during a health crisis. 

But multiple levels of government will, presumably, have to decide which changes should stick in the post COVID-world.

Canopy Rivers Inc. (OTC: CNPOF) is laying off employees and cutting back on spending as the company focuses on positive cash flow. The venture capital firm that specializes in cannabis companies said that it is streamlining its operations to preserve its cash on hand.

However, Canopy Rivers said it is still planning on repurchasing some of its subordinated voting shares and that is can buy up to 10% of these shares. The stock was lately trading at $1.02 per share.

A licenced cannabis greenhouse in Leamington, employing about 120 people will be shutting down operations over the next six weeks.

Tilray, Inc. the owner of High Park Gardens announced Wednesday it would be closing its Leamington operation. The company says the closure is expected to yield $7.5 million in annualized net savings.

“We are continuously evaluating the evolving needs of our business, against a challenging industry backdrop, to ensure we’re in the best position to produce world-class products and deliver positive results for our stakeholders,” Brendan Kennedy, Tilray CEO said in a statement.

So what if cannabis is legal? Some residents of West Nipissing in northern Ontario argue weed stinks and they don’t want the smell in their town.

As a result, town council is examining an odour bylaw that would restrict what some say is pungent smells emanating from legal weed operations.

Any such move could cement the community’s apparent view of pot. Currently, the municipality does not allow smoking cannabis on sidewalks, but smoking cigarettes is fine and dandy.

They haven’t ruled it out, but they haven’t committed to it either. The Ford government has allowed restaurants to sell booze to go, either for takeout or delivery, and allowed cannabis shops to deliver for the last while due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Will they let it stay once we start returning to “normal”?

The question was put to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ford’s Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction.

“There’s gonna be a lot of things, as we say, the new way of doing business and not only in government, but in the private sector too,” Ford said Monday during his regular update.

One northern Ontario town is looking for a way to make smelly cannabis plants illegal.

West Nipissing council wants to draft a bylaw to regulate the odour from the four marijuana plants each Ontario resident is legally now allowed to grow.

Councillor Lise Senecal put the issue on the table after getting complaints from several residents in Sturgeon Falls.

"I didn't even have to get out. I just rolled down my window," she says of going to check out the skunk-like stink.

"It's a very strong smell. I could have gotten a buzz."

She says the right to enjoy your own property is a "basic right" and wants to see cannabis smell listed as a nuisance in a town bylaw, similar to what the City of Hamilton has already passed.

Town council to debate proposed bylaw at meeting next month

One northern Ontario town is looking for a way to make smelly cannabis plants illegal.

West Nipissing council wants to draft a bylaw to regulate the odour from the four marijuana plants each Ontario resident is legally now allowed to grow.

CALGARY, May 25, 2020 /CNW/ - High Tide Inc. ("High Tide" or the "Company") (CSE:HITI) (OTCQB:HITIF) (FRA:2LY), a retail-focused cannabis corporation enhanced by the manufacturing and distribution of cannabis lifestyle accessories, is pleased to announce that the Canna Cabana retail cannabis store located in Unit #2 at 2400 Guelph Line in Burlington, Ontario (the "Burlington Store") will be opening on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. It marks the sixth branded Canna Cabana location in Ontario and the Company's 35th retail cannabis store across Canada.