Aurora’s second Edmonton-area facility to produce edible products

Edmonton-based Aurora Cannabis has received a processing licence from Health Canada for its Aurora Air facility located near the Edmonton International Airport and two outdoor cultivation licences for sites in Quebec and British Columbia, the company announced Monday.

“Our team plans to use these areas to ensure we are able to consistently grow the high-quality cannabis Aurora has become known for around the world. We’re proud to be a Canadian company and this is a further commitment to research and job creation in Canada,” said Aurora CEO Terry Booth.

Located near Aurora Sky, the company’s cannabis growing operation with a capacity of 100,000 kilograms per year, the Aurora Air facility will produce edible products, such as gummies and chocolates, set to hit the Canadian consumer market in December 2019.

The new outdoor sites will be Aurora Valley, a 207-acre operation in Westwold, B.C., and Aurora Eau, A 21,000 square-foot operation in Lachute, Quebec. The Quebec facility is the first approved outdoor grow operation for cannabis in Quebec and has already been planted.

Aurora said it chose the outdoor sites because they represent two different growing environments. The new sites in Quebec and British Columbia will be used for cultivation research to develop new technology, genetics and intellectual property. Aurora will also conduct research on cultivation techniques in varying climate conditions and will examine environmentally sustainable cannabis agriculture.

“For this season and next, our focus will be on researching cultivation methods and evaluating genetics in order to produce high THC and CBD cannabis in outdoor-grown plants, with the ultimate goal of extracting these components. The unique climates of each site also present a great opportunity to determine which cultivars will perform best in different outdoor environments,” said Jonathan Page, chief science officer at Aurora.

Health Canada opened the door to outdoor cultivation in June 2018, after a previous restriction to indoor growing to prevent theft and ensure quality control. Aurora will join companies that have since been licensed to grow cannabis outdoors including 48North Cannabis Corp. operations in Ontario, and Canopy Growth Corp.’s site in Saskatchewan.