Manitoba’s Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA) has been running billboards such as this one in Winnipeg to educate the public ahead of edibles’ entry to the recreational market. (Dave Bedard photo)

Cannabis patients boost Aurora edible sales

Toronto | Reuters — Aurora Cannabis this week became the first major Canadian company to sell edibles and vapes for medical use, a small base that nevertheless helps shore up margins and paves the way for sales in the much larger European medical market. Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001, and recreational […] Read more

Neonic insecticides are very often used when planting corn and soybeans.

Neonic paperwork burden reduced

There will be less requirement for regular renewals of risk assessment processes

Ontario’s government is streamlining the regulations around neonicotinoid insecticides and that should reduce the amount of paperwork required to manage the seed treatment. The changes will also decrease the need for using certified assessors to evaluate the need for the insecticides, also known as neonics. Why it matters: The large amount of paperwork involved in […] Read more

File photo of medical cannabis in production. (FatCamera/iStock/Getty Images)

Pot producer CannTrust to destroy $77M in plants, inventory

Reuters — Canadian cannabis producer CannTrust Holdings said Monday it would destroy about $12 million worth of plants and about $65 million worth of inventory as part of a plan to regain full regulatory compliance. Health Canada canceled CannTrust’s license to produce and sell cannabis in September, months after it found the company was illegally […] Read more

File photo of medical cannabis in production. (FatCamera/iStock/Getty Images)

Pot producer CannTrust’s federal license suspended

Reuters — Troubled Canadian pot grower CannTrust Holdings said Tuesday its license to produce and sell cannabis has been suspended by Health Canada. CannTrust had delayed its second-quarter results last month awaiting a decision from Canada’s health regulator on a large amount of inventory put on hold after discovery of illegal cultivation by the company. […] Read more

(Jennifer Blair photo)

Hemp yield uncertain ahead of harvest

MarketsFarm — While Canada’s licensed hemp acreage nearly doubled from 2018 to 2019, yield estimates will remain uncertain until licensed producers report their crops to Health Canada after harvest. “Health Canada, for the first time, will be collecting information on hemp acres that were seeded, rather than hemp acres that were licensed,” said Ted Haney, […] Read more


(Juanmonino/iStock/Getty Images)

Cannabis edibles clear for legal launch before year-end

Food products containing cannabis are expected to be on the retail market by mid-December at the earliest under new federal regulations announced Friday. Health Canada on Friday announced amendments to the Cannabis Regulations will be published June 26 to come into force Oct. 17, laying out rules for legal production and sale of edible cannabis, […] Read more

Health Canada has released its final decision on neonic insecticides and their potential impact on bees and other pollinators. The department will take several steps to reduce the risk to bees, but neonic seed treatments will not be affected.

Neonic seed treatments seen as safe for bees

Health Canada ruling yet to come on safety for aquatic insects

For years, groups like the David Suzuki Foundation and the Ontario Beekeepers Association have argued that neonicotinoid seed treatments represent a systemic threat to bees. “Health Canada… will be cancelling some uses of these pesticides, and changing other conditions of use such as restricting the timing of application,” a department news release said. “Remaining uses […] Read more

(DusanPetkovic/iStock/Getty Images)

Ottawa looks to speed up emergency access to livestock drugs

Livestock drugs not currently available in Canada could become easier to access in emergencies, if proposals for amended federal drug regulations get on the books. Health Canada, proposing to streamline the processes for emergency access to drugs for livestock as well as people and pets, on Friday announced a public comment period on its proposals, […] Read more


(FatCamera/iStock/Getty Images)

Grow facilities now required up front for new cannabis producers

Growers and processors seeking federal licenses to produce and/or process cannabis in Canada will now have to have their proposed sites “fully built” before they even apply. Health Canada announced Wednesday that the change takes effect immediately, saying it would better line up the cannabis sector with the approach the department already follows for approvals […] Read more

(CanopyGrowth.com)

Ontario chamber makes recommendations to boost cannabis sector

Reuters –The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) on Thursday made several recommendations that address issues affecting the province’s booming marijuana industry, including having a common excise stamp to help cannabis makers ship their products smoothly. The industry body also recommended bolstering Health Canada, the country’s health regulator, so that it can issue licenses to facilities […] Read more