About this event
The State of Craft is a bi-weekly live conversation discussing the state of the legal craft cannabis industry presented by CertiCraft
Sugar Cane Cannabis is the wholly-owned Williams Lake First Nation cannabis cultivation brand. They are currently in the Health Canada licensing process, and when approved, they will be the province's first Farm Gate cannabis retail facility.
Housed within a newly constructed 7,000 square foot building, Sugar Cane Cannabis will feature state of the art micro-cultivation facilities and a boutique retail outlet stocked with Sugar Cane Cannabis' own high quality craft cannabis. They gallery within the Sugar Cane Cannabis retail area will allow visitors a glimpse into one of the facility's five grow rooms and to observe their cutting-edge, energy efficient cultivation process.
Most other First Nations have opted to conduct their cannabis business in their own way, instead of following the government guidelines. However, Williams Lake First Nation chose to do things differently and follow the current legalization process.
Why did they chose to do this? What obstacles have they faced on their way to becoming a Farm Gate retail space?
Williams Lake First Nation Chief Willie Sellars, Founder and Director of GanjaPapa, Brendan Roberts, and Sugar Cane Cannabis COO, Daniel Penny, will answer these questions any more more.
Join us for this fascinating episode!
Chief Willie Sellars, Chief of Williams Lake First Nation
Willie Sellars was born and raised in Williams Lake, BC and is a member of the Williams Lake First Nation (“WLFN” or “T’exelc”) of the Secwepemc Nation. Elected to WLFN Council at the age of 24 in 2008, Willie was one of the youngest elected Councillors in WLFN history. After serving 10 years on Council he was elected as the Chief of the Williams Lake First Nation in 2018 and is currently in his first term. In his previous work experience, Willie worked as a Wildland Firefighter for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations before returning to his community to assume the position of Special Project Coordinator in the WLFN Economic Development Department. During this time he was responsible for new business initiatives flowing from Impact Benefit Agreements, engagement with proponents in the traditional territory and community consultation for major WLFN projects.
While Chief in 2020, Willie oversaw the negotiation of British Columbia’s first government-to-government agreement under section 119 of the BC Cannabis Control and Licensing Act. This watershed agreement gave Williams Lake First Nation specific authority in relation to cannabis retail, and facilitated the development of Sugar Cane Cannabis, BC’s first farm-gate cannabis facility. Willie is a Director and President of WLFN’s two cannabis entities, Sugar Cane Cannabis and Unity Cannabis. Unity Cannabis, which is the retail arm of WLFN’s cannabis operations, has operational stores in Williams Lake, Merritt and Penticton, with another outlet in Lac La Hache currently in the licensing phase.
Willie is also a published author of “Dipnetting with Dad,” which won a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily, Shining Willow, and Ontario Library Association awards. His second book, “Hockey with Dad,” released in the Fall of 2021. Willie enjoys his family time with his three kids, playing hockey with the Williams Lake Stampeders, attending community events at WLFN, dipnetting, and playing fastball.
Brendan Roberts, Founder and Director of GanjaPapa
Mr. Roberts, Founder and Director of GanjaPapa Solutions, brings over 20 years of progressive horticulture experience throughout North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean region. He currently serves at VP, Horticulture & Biotech Business Development at Pagroda Agricultural Solutions. A Leading Biotech company exploring multiple aspects of physiological plant growth, based in the USA.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendon-roberts-184a2286/
A former secondary school agricultural science teacher within the Ministry of Education, he has held senior management positions at many cannabis organizations. Namely, Vide Cannabis, Zenabis Global, BZAM Management & Nymera Holdings. He also serves as the Master Grower and Quality Assurance Manager at Sugar Cane Cannabis.
A seasoned horticulturist, Mr. Roberts played a leading role in Canada's forest renewal programs by growing over 20 million trees annually, in collaboration with federal and provincial governments alongside mainstream forest companies in Ontario, Canada.
He has completed an Applied Agricultural Science diploma as well as a degree in International Agricultural Development from the University of Guelph, Canada's premier institution for Agricultural Sciences.
Daniel Penny, COO of Sugar Cane Cannabis
Daniel Penny has spent most of his life in his hometown of Williams Lake, BC and joined WLFN in 2018 as an Economic Development Project Manager. Intrigued by the cannabis industry, Daniel passionately jumped into the space and became the COO of Sugar Cane Cannabis and Unity Cannabis, WLFN’s micro-cultivation and cannabis retail enterprises.
As a former Wildland Fire Fighter, Daniel brings that same sense of hustle to the business world and is an integral part of WLFN’s ascent to becoming a national leader in the world of cannabis.
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What is The State of Craft?
The State of Craft is a webinar series focused on the legal craft cannabis industry.
The rollout of cannabis legalization in Canada has been full of ups and downs. The craft cannabis industry in particular has been immensely affected by a myriad of challenges and missteps in the years following the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations.
In The State of Craft, Sami Majadla, CEO of CertiCraft, facilitates conversations with leaders in the legal craft cannabis industry to explore what is going well and what is going not-so-well. We'll discuss what can realistically be changed at different levels of government and industry alike to address major issues the craft cannabis sector is facing, and hopefully inspire stimulating ideas of all sorts. Every episode will end with a 15 min live Q&A with our audience.
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What is CertiCraft?
CertiCraft is a compliance software system that helps small-to-medium licensed cannabis producers stay on top of their regulatory requirements. The platform has a focus on ease of use, minimal training time (<15 mins), and incredible time savings. Find out more at certicraft.com.
CertiCraft
They made it hard. We make it easy.CertiCraft is on a mission to help craft cannabis producers transition into and thrive within the new regulated market. Our flagship product is a simple compliance platform.
