Cannabis curbside pick-up and delivery will continue as part of the Province’s decision to extend COVID-19 emergency measures by another 10 days.

On Tuesday, the province announced all emergency orders that have been put in place to date under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act had been extended until near the end of May. This includes special provisions extended to cannabis retailers who have been given permission to develop delivery and curbside pick-up options for customers.

A fire at a greenhouse facility that produces medical marijuana kept St. Catharines firefighters busy early Wednesday.

The fire destroyed a barn, but firefighters saved the attached greenhouse and its contents, Deputy Chief Dave Upper said.

The call about a working fire at 376 Read Rd. on the east side of the Welland Canal came in at 1 a.m.

"When the crews arrived, they were presented with a significantly large fire," Upper said. "They immediately set up defensive operations, and crews worked through the night to get the fire under control."

Fire prevention officers were at the scene later in the day working on damage estimates. The Office of the Fire Marshal was notified, but won't be attending.

The surge in marijuana purchases ahead of the COVID-19 lockdown in Canada has helped Aurora Cannabis’s fiscal third-quarter earnings, but has since come to pass, according to the company’s interim CEO Michael Singer.

Aurora posted better-than-expected results last week amid a slew of weaker company earnings across the cannabis sector. 

For the quarter ending March 31, Aurora revealed a 35% jump in net sales at CAD$75.5 million. The increase in revenue was supported by adult-use marijuana sales in Canada climbing 24%, according to the update, while the company sold 12,729 kilograms of cannabis during the same period – a 39% increase on the year. 

Meanwhile, Aurora also said that it is well-positioned to turn a profit in the next fiscal year, starting July 2020. 

Canada’s Cannabis Act, which came into force in October 2018, allows adults to grow up to four plants at home. In theory, it seems great.

It is still early days, but Aurora Cannabis Inc. appears to be steering itself toward calmer waters. 

Only three months since announcing a major corporate restructuring that led to the retirement of its founder and chief executive officer Terry Booth and a massive $1-billion write-down, the Canadian pot giant is showing signs of a turnaround. If it succeeds, it could place the company on track to finally achieve its long-stated goal of attaining profitability by the end of the year. 

"We're turning this ship around, and it's a big ship," Michael Singer, Aurora's chairman and interim CEO, said in a phone interview with BNN Bloomberg. 

Ontario cannabis consumers hoping for easy access to legal marijuana seeds may finally be getting their wish. Even though the seeds page on the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) website says it is currently out of stock, the expectation is that this will soon change.

OCS is set on providing a wide variety of cannabis seeds and that goal will be advanced thanks to two new deals — with ANC Cannabis in Alberta and British Columbia-based ProgenyBio Agricultural Services — according to Merry Jane.

Workers won’t begin planting nearly 20,000 marijuana plants outside WeedMD’s Strathroy greenhouse until early next month, but preparations already are underway for the company’s second outdoor cannabis crop.

WeedMD, a London-headquartered firm – with operations in Strathroy, Aylmer and Bowmanville, east of Oshawa – was one of the first pot producers to grow cannabis outside last year after the government lifted its ban on outdoor cultivation.

Now, head of cultivation Curtis Wallace is taking the lessons learned last year to ensure this season’s crop is the best.

Only seven strains of cannabis are being planted on the 11-hectare farm – formerly an organic asparagus farm – down from 38 varieties last year, Wallace said.

Canopy Growth Corp. said Monday two top executives have left the company, as part of a management shakeup led by the cannabis producer’s new chief executive who is looking to put his own mark on the pot giant.

A spokesperson from the Smiths Falls, Ont.-based company said that Andre Fernandez, its chief operating officer, and Dave Bigioni, the chief commercial officer, have mutually agreed to exit the company. 

"Canopy has engaged an executive search firm to fill the roles of COO and CCO to lead the business forward," said Jordan Sinclair, vice president of communications at Canopy Growth, in an email to BNN Bloomberg. 

The snail-like pace of cannabis retail rollout in Canada’s largest province is just one reason the country as a whole has been unable to stub out the fiery illicit market and realize higher sales.

Retail stores accounted for about $200 million of Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) total recreational sales, which amounted to just shy of $300 million in 2019, chief commercial officer Cheri Mara told the Toronto Star. “I wouldn’t be honest with you if I said we were happy with that number… when our mandate is to eradicate the illicit market,” Mara said, noting the estimated Ontario market is $2.9 billion.

Browsing for bud online and remotely selecting a buzz has become a part of the physical distancing routine among private cannabis retailers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led some cannabis merchants to go the more limited-contact, express-service model, among other adaptations to a pandemic-hit province that has deemed them an essential service.

Retailers like NewLeaf Cannabis allow customers to choose their purchase online and place an order before heading to their closest outlet for pickup and pay.

NewLeaf also has tips for buyers.

“When paying, use tap for debit and credit cards versus cash and don’t share joints, pipes or bongs,” advises the company.