Kwantlen launches a program for pot…entrepreneurs

The course, developed in conjunction with the Canadian National Medical Marijuana Association, will start in September

THE#BCBIZDAILY
Plus, a revenue-sharing agreement and the world’s first float thru

Kwantlen Polytechnic plans to launch an online-only course for professionals interested in learning how to grow and market medical marijuana. And the course material runs the full gamut from marijuana botany, irrigation, drying and storage to navigating municipal bylaws and building a marketing plan—all intended to orient job-seekers for a nascent industry in an ever-changing legal environment. Kwantlen, which regularly jumps early on emerging business models (like craft beer and bees) has launched this latest endeavour as the legal landscape for marijuana is in a particular state of flux.  “Medical marijuana is in the news every day, and it’s an evolving industry that’s growing very rapidly. KPU is certainly blazing a trail in terms of helping people navigate the business and professional landscape of managing medical marijuana in Canada,” said Jim Pelton, executive director of continuing and professional studies at KPU, in a statement. The 14-week course runs in two parts, at $1,249 per session.

Friends with benefits
A group of municipalities in B.C.’s Northwest have agreed on a proposal that will ask for a share of the provincial government’s tax revenue from future energy and mining projects, i.e., LNG (Northern View). The group, which includes Prince Rupert, Kitimat and Stewart, among other cities, will ask for $3 billion from the province to spend on infrastructure, or three per cent of the $35 billion in taxes the province hopes to collect from a slate of 49 projects over the course of 50 years. The Northwest Resource Benefits Alliance hopes to hammer out an agreement, modelled on a similar one in place in the Peace River region, based on a 2013 campaign promise from Christy Clark. 

Float on
Penticton’s river channel has been for decades a memorable summer highlight for anyone who has spent a hot weekend in the Okanagan. It’s thus a convenient location for A&W Canada, the burger chain, to film an ad for what it’s dubbed the “world’s first float thru“ for burgers in the seven-kilometre-long canal. From the look of the “floating burger joint” in the marketing video, your opportunity to buy a burger in the canal may have already floated on.