CREMONA - Plans to expand the Aurora Cannabis Inc. medicinal marijuana production facility outside Cremona are moving forward on a number of fronts, says executive vice-president Cam Battley.
"The bottom line is we have plans in Cremona," Battley said Feb. 23. "There will be more employment and there will be more investment and there will be an expansion plan that we propose to the county, but we are not quite there yet.
"We need additional capacity in a number of areas so we have to tally all of this up and put together our plan to go forward with the development permit under the direct control district.
"I've talked this over with our board and senior management. We are going to be doing things in Cremona and it will probably be a number of different things. We've got to be sure we do this in a methodical fashion."
In November, Mountain View County council passed a land use bylaw amendment that redesignates an 89-acre parcel immediately adjacent to the existing federally licensed Aurora facility from agriculture district to direct control.
The move would allow the company to apply for a development permit to expand the facility.
In applying for the redesignation, the company said it plans to expand the existing facility in two phases, increasing the size of the facility by 61,171 square metres.
Phase 1 will consist of approximately 24,192 square metres, which will include a greenhouse area and support services in the form of washrooms, staff facilities, office, storage and shipping areas.
Phase 2 would consist of approximately 36,979 square metres for additional greenhouses.
The expansion is expected to increase employment from the current 75 to about 200.
Supporters of the proposed expansion include the Village of Cremona.
"Aurora is a jewel that is located next to Cremona that will provide many permanent full-time jobs in a modern agricultural and pharmaceutical plant," said Cremona Mayor Tim Hagen
Opponents of the proposed expansion say they have concerns with a number of things, including water usage and increased road traffic around the facility.
One of the conditions of the newly approved direct control district is that the company must form a community advisory board, including area resident representation, prior to the issuance of a development permit.
The company has not yet applied for the development permit, says Margaretha Bloem, county director of planning services.
