Growing high-value food crops in greenhouses is not a viable future in Canada anymore. That’s coming from the head of a company involved in converting greenhouse space in Delta to grow cannabis, while the city’s mayor expresses concerns about the change.

Michael DeGiglio, CEO of Village Farms, says his company continually lost money growing produce and jobs are in jeopardy without a change. So for him, it’s about survival.

He argues vegetable growers here just can’t compete with those in places like Mexico, where he points out much of our produce comes from.

The burgeoning cannabis industry, rife with mergers these days, is adding another to the list.

Four businesses agreed to join forces as TILT Holdings Inc., which will have a market capitalization of more than $500 million and plans to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange, the company said Tuesday. The merger focuses on bundling services -- from software to development of indoor cultivation, rather than amassing marijuana volume, according to Chief Executive Officer Alex Coleman.

Pot M&A is front of mind for many after Aurora Cannabis Inc. agreed to buy Canadian rival MedReleaf Corp. Monday in the largest pot deal to date. The combined producer will have the capacity to grow 570,000 kilos (1.26 million pounds) of marijuana a year across two countries.

Thomas George of investment forum Grizzle says that when it comes to the “green rush” of success that the marijuana industry is expecting in Canada, interested parties should be a little more circumspect about getting the same reception south of the border. In fact, the U.S. is far more divided over legalizing cannabis than we are in Canada, says George.

Creso Pharma’s cannabis production facility is currently under construction in Windsor, Nova Scotia. According to documents from the Australia-based company’s website, the site is approximately 20,000 square feet and could produce between 2,000 and 4,000 kilograms of cannabis annually. (COLIN CHISHOLM / Hants Journal)

WINDSOR, N.S. — An Australian company will become a tenant in Windsor’s industrial park just in time for marijuana use to become legalized.

Creso Pharma, a publicly traded company based in Australia, is hoping that the impending legalization of marijuana in Canada will be a boon for its growing cannabis industry, which includes supplying recreational and medical marijuana products.

Whether it’s a delicious terpene-rich IPA or a THC-oil Belgian ale boasting no hangover, cannabis-friendly states like California and Colorado are leading the way when it comes to weed-infused beer.

It’s a Canadian company, however, that plans on launching the world’s first beer brewed entirely from the cannabis plant.

“First people thought we were crazy. Then they asked us how we were doing it,” Dooma Wendschuh told the Straight by phone. Wendschuh is the CEO of Province Brands of Canada (PBC), a premium beer and spirits company recently awarded with $300,000 in funding from the Government of Ontario.

A Toronto-based pot producer is taking over the former Maple Leaf Foods meat plant in Winnipeg.

GrowForce Holdings has announced it will open its flagship cannabis cultivation facility in the city’s St. Boniface Industrial Park.

It says the 11,000-square-metre facility will employ 150 to 200 people once it’s fully operational next year.

GrowForce CEO Rishi Gautam says the company looked at various cities, including Edmonton and Calgary, but settled on Winnipeg because of reasonable hydro rates and a large skilled workforce.

Gautam says the company purchased the site for about $10 million and plans to invest another $30 million to retrofit the building.

On Monday, rumours of Aurora Cannabis (ACB.TO) merging with MedReleaf Corp. (LEAF.TO) came true: Aurora acquired MedReleaf for $3.2 billion in an all-stock deal.

The move is the latest in a series of mergers and acquisitions by Aurora, which now has a production capacity of 570,000 kilograms per year. Cam Battley, Chief Corporate Officer of Aurora Cannabis, spoke to Yahoo Canada Financeabout the merger, and outlined why it’s been such a critical part of the company’s strategy.

With the legalization of cannabis around the corner, Lethbridge City Council is encouraging residents to attend a community issues committee meeting later this month to learn what it’s going to mean for the community.

A panel of independent specialists will be on hand to provide information to City Council members and the public on various aspects of cannabis legalization including the legal framework, provincial regulations and local land-use planning.

Councillor Jeff Carlson says they hold CIC meetings fairly regularly on off Mondays, but when there’s something bubbling in the community that they think a lot of people might have an interest in they try to plan something special.

A local municipal councillor wants Chatham-Kent to be “ahead of the curve” when it comes to preparing for the legalization of marijuana.

Chatham-Kent Councillor Doug Sulman’s motion for staff to prepare a report on its plan to handle the coming legalization of marijuana was approved unanimously at Monday night’s council meeting.

Topics to be addressed in the report include:

Dee Dee's Shop owner says profit margins for standalone stores too slim.

One of the 24 retailers approved to sell marijuana has turned down its retail licence, saying N.L.'s rules favour large corporations.

One of 24 Newfoundland and Labrador retailers approved to sell marijuana once it is legal has turned down its retail license, saying the province's rules favour large corporations.

Dee Dee's Shop was approved by Cannabis N.L. to open a marijuana business in the Flatrock area of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, but owner Danielle Campbell said it decided to decline the licence after doing some research.