Many Canadian companies have entered into partnerships, joint ventures, and other agreements to expand their business footprint in anticipation of the October 17 date when nationwide legalization goes into full swing. Village Farms International, Inc. (TSX:VFF) (OTC:VFFIF) and Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (TSXV:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) are no different and have formed a 50/50 joint venture called Pure Sunfarms, for large-scale cannabis production.

To better prepare the workforce, a Canadian company will start teaching cannabis education courses for employers. A Canadian consulting company will soon be starting cannabiseducation for employers, according to a report from the CBC. The Alberta firm, Cannabis at Work, will offer courses to help employers navigate the Canadian legalization of cannabis.

The classes are designed to help companies understand how the law impacts employers that may have workers who use cannabis, either medicinally or recreationally. The courses are scheduled to begin next month at the University of Calgary.

William Caines doesn't have a criminal record. But he still dreads potential employers asking for a criminal record check.

He's one of 12 workers charged in raids on Saint John cannabis dispensaries in January. 

When the results reveal to potential bosses he has a court date coming up, "they're like, is this guy a pedophile, is this guy a killer, what is he?" said Caines.

"It's been really hard getting work."

Caines hopes that's going to change soon. 

Kevin Tindall does not smoke pot.

But the corporate accountant in Saskatoon and his business partners need at least 10 people in Swift Current, Sask., who can explain marijuana to new customers and keep Tindall's downtown cannabis store rolling once recreational marijuana use becomes legal on Oct. 17.

"It's going to be based on personality and their ability to sell," said Tindall, who spent several years running a Boston Pizza in Swift Current before he won one of the province's 51 permits to retail pot.

"We're looking forward to being open well before the legalization date just for information purposes," Tindall said. "I think this industry's going to be huge."

An Alberta-based cannabis company has opened a marijuana concept store as Canadians prepare for cannabis legalization.

Cannabis seller Fire and Flower has set up the store in Edmonton, after being one of the first companies to receive conditional approval from the province.

While they cannot yet sell cannabis, the company hopes their concept store will give them an advantage as they apply to open more stores across the province. “For us, creating the store you see around you today was really important, it shows our regulators what a store will look like,” Fire and Flower CEO Trevor Fencott told CTV Edmonton.

Medical grade cannabis or base metals? It feels like a very Canadian-stock-market kind of question, doesn’t it? While the TSX has traditionally be known for its financials, mining stocks, and energy stocks, nowadays your pal Google will very helpfully suggest “cannabis” if you try searching for Canadian stocks. There’s little wonder why. Cannabis is this generation’s internet in terms of investment. But as with the dot.com rush, the big players are yet to be identified in this brand-new industry. That’s why growth investors today may want to compare weed stocks with those other high-growth plays: Canadian miners. Both industries offer…

Ontario will have a cannabis retail system open for business when recreational marijuana is legalized across the country in less than three months, says Finance Minister Vic Fedeli.

“We are going to be operational by Oct. 17,” Fedeli said Monday as questions swirled about how the province will sell weed following reports private retailers are being tapped instead of the government stores planned by the previous Liberal administration.

When Canada officially launches its recreational marijuana market later this year, the federal government will provide the nation’s cannabis farmers with some of the same funding opportunities as other green thumb industrialists.

Earlier this month, agricultural ministers representing every level of government decided during their annual meeting in Vancouver that the companies producing cannabis plants for both the recreational and medicinal sector should qualify for a portion of the agricultural support offered to traditional farmers. Canada provides dozens of programs and partnerships intended to help the agricultural community stay innovative and prosperous.

The City of Calgary is starting its review of 261 applications it has received so far for retail marijuana stores and hopes to have the initial process wrapped up by Aug. 10. 

It's unlikely all those who applied to open a store will get the green light. 

"Similar to other municipalities, we will be making decisions based on the order in which the applications were received, but that is our standard business practice here at the City of Calgary," said Brandy MacInnis, senior special projects officer with the city.

Rules limit where the stores can go, with established distances from schools, emergency shelters, pawnshops, payday loan operators, places of worship and other marijuana retailers. 

High Tide Ventures Inc. ("High Tide" or the "Company") today announced that it has recently entered into multiple non-binding memorandums of understanding ("MOUs") to supply the Saskatchewan market on a wholesale basis for a combined total of up to 9,500 kilograms of cannabis products over the next year, as available.  High Tide is in the process of becoming a licensed wholesaler of cannabis products in the province of Saskatchewan.  The MOUs are with FV Pharma Inc. ("FV Pharma"), Maple Leaf Green World Inc. ("Maple Leaf"), Sundial Growers Inc. ("Sundial") and The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc. ("Supreme").