Cannabis greenhouse steps up efforts to mitigate odours
Redecan Pharm adds carbon filters to Foss Road operation
While an established marijuana greenhouse in Pelham works to address concerns about odours, the town’s newest cannabis production facility is hoping to avoid similar problems.
After months of complaints about “skunky” odours which residents believed are coming from the Redecan Pharm greenhouse on Foss Road, the company said additional efforts added to control the odours appear to be working.
In an email, Redecan spokesperson Chloe Mills said the company is “committed to minimizing any negative impact we may have on our neighbours and are working to mitigate the odour that is being generated periodically.”
She said the addition of supplementary carbon filters, to its existing exhaust filters and “top-of-the-line” ISO certified odour control system it has been using, “has further enhanced our ability to manage any odours generated by our facility.”
“As with any cannabis producing operation, there are smells that are produced from time to time at our facility,” she said.
Asked about the odour last week, neighbouring resident Darryll Godin said, “It is a bit better.”
Mills said the company is “fully compliant with all Health Canada regulations and are working with them on this specific issue.”
That’s in contrast to a Pelham bylaw enforcement department report recently presented to town council saying “Health Canada acknowledged that the current misting system is inadequate to control the release of odour.”
Mills, however, said that report was based on a conversation between town staff and representatives of the federal agency, rather than any official Health Canada document.
The company has also set up a system allowing concerned neighbours to contact the company directly, by sending email to
info@redecan.ca.
Mills said Redecan is one of several facilities in the area that is licensed to produce cannabis, as well as residents who are licensed to grow the plant for their own medical use.
“The City of Pelham and Health Canada should be investigating whether there could be multiple sources producing odours,” she said. “We anticipate that the reality of having multiple cannabis production sites in the area would make it hard to pinpoint odour origin to just one source without further study.”
Michael Camplin, general manager of the CannTrust Holdings greenhouse on Balfour Street, which officially opened its doors this week, said his facility has yet to face complaints related to odours.
He said 85 Ecolo Odour Control devices line the hallways of the greenhouse, each helping eliminate the odours.
“It’s really a combination of destroying the odour and adding a pleasant fragrance,” he said.
He said most of the strains of the plant grown there have a more pleasant citrus aroma compared to other strains that are available.
At Redecan, Mills said the company uses the same Ecolo Odour Control system at its greenhouses to eliminate unpleasant aromas produced by some strains of the plant, but the company also grows many of the same types of plants that produce a citrus odour among its inventory.
She said all cannabis plants have a similar aroma, including citrusbased strains.
Meanwhile, she said Redecan’s expansion underway will add 100 more employees to the 65 workers already there and an estimated $20 million in economic activity to the area.
The company, she added, does not anticipate any further impact on the community as a result of its expansion.
“We want to emphasize that we are committed to operating as a responsible member of the community,” Mills said. “We are aware that some of our neighbours have expressed concerns about odours being generated periodically and are actively working to address this.”