Last Updated on October 24, 2023 by Ephraim Vecina
A few months away from the federal legalization of recreational marijuana, the Okanagan Valley is now playing host to several current and proposed cannabis production facilities – and the heating up of the region’s commercial and industrial segments is expected to only go further.
“The Okanagan has always become an incredible centre for agriculture and we have the unique opportunity here of taking advantage of the long days, the bright sun, and an incredible job pool in the agricultural community to draw from,” according to Dominic Unsworth, head facilities designer with Green Mountain Health Alliance.
The wholesale cannabis company has recently purchased a 16-acre private property off Highway 3A in Kaleden. The parcel could soon house a 200,000-square-foot production facility
The firm is hoping to become a licensed producer to grow 10,000 kilograms of marijuana every year.
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“We will be distributing across Canada and globally to the medical market,” Unsworth told Global News.
Unsworth, who was previously involved in the wine industry, noted that similar shifts have been seen among fermenters across the Okanagan.
“It’s a logical transition for people who are used to growing high-quality fruit. We’re growing high-quality flower. There is very little difference,” he stated.
Colliers International said that this appetite for industrial and agricultural land will only increase as time goes on.
“The closer we get to the legalization, there is so much more activity but interestingly, there is a lot of money behind all of this,” managing broker Murray Wills said.
Ephraim is currently a journalist at Mortgage Broker News, Real Estate Professional and Canadian Real Estate Wealth.
Ephraim is a highly accomplished news reporter whose work has been published across North America and the Asia Pacific region. Before joining Key Media, Ephraim spent eight years working as a journalist with Reuters TV. His areas of expertise include real estate, mortgage, and finance.
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