With nationwide legalization of recreational marijuana expected in Canada in the coming months, the industry is seeing a spate of deals and steady news flow as companies jockey for position in the burgeoning market.

Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX:WEED) said that it is acquiring the remaining portions of Canopy Health Innovations (CHI) and CHI's subsidiary Canopy Animal Health that it didn't already own.

WEED management believes that by bringing the companies under one umbrella - coupled with its own cannabis production - will expedite product development and bringing products to medical marijuana patients.

Think AHLOT Corporation ("AHLOT"), a leading cannabis experience and innovation company, is pleased to announce it will launch the world's first cannabis sample pack showcasing multiple strains and producers from across Canada. Debuting in Canada's recreational and medical cannabis markets, the sample packs will contain five (5) one-gram samples of the finest cannabis available from multiple Licensed Producers. The sample packs will introduce consumers to the unique strains and stories being cultivated by the world's best growers, starting in Canada.

Up to $1,000,000 of seed capital to support aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs.

Canopy Rivers Corporation ("Canopy Rivers", or the "Company") is excited to help foster growth in the Canadian cannabis landscape by hosting a pitch day for cannabis entrepreneurs ahead of impending adult use legalization. In accordance with the proposed regulations underneath the Cannabis Act (Bill C-45) and the new "micro" class of licenses, the Company is offering up to $1,000,000 of seed capital to support a diverse range of aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs.

City planners in Prince Albert say it is “crunch time” for local legislation as the legalization of cannabis in Canada grinds closer.

The city's next steps were rolled out in front of city’s council's executive committee Monday night. Craig Guidinger, director of planning and development, said legalization will use a top-down approach largely dictated by the federal and provincial governments, but there are still a few items municipalities will have the ability to tweak. Guidinger said city planners are still conducting research and reviewing best practices using information from the provincial cannabis survey to prepare draft regulations, but nothing has yet been set in stone.

A recent report from CFRA Research projected that alcohol companies could be squeezed by legal cannabis in the coming years. Analyst Joe Agnese made the projection in a note published on March 5. “Due to shared usage occasions, we view the legalization of cannabis as a threat to alcohol industry consumption growth.”

Agnese pointed to research from the University of Connecticut and George State University that found that monthly alcohol sales dropped 13% in states that legalized medical cannabis. In the report, he predicts that Canada will make a very good test case.

Several former executives from a Carleton Place cannabis firm are launching a new venture and hope to construct a 100,000-square-foot facility in west Ottawa and start cultivating marijuana by May 2019.

NordikLeaf CEO James Mackenzie says the firm has raised $1 million to date and is looking to raise a total of $25 million from high-net-worth individuals to launch the project. Additionally, the company has an agreement with “a large Canadian construction company” based in Ottawa that will help finance the building of the facility.

Canada's impending legalization of marijuana is spurring demand for commercial real estate, particularly for retail shops in Alberta, where the government is selecting private operators to conduct over-the-counter sales, industry players said Tuesday.

Real estate consultancy JLL said its phone has been "ringing off the hook" as cannabis companies look to secure space to cultivate the plant and seek retail space to sell the final product.

Commercial real estate prices haven't "seen a major bump yet", but that is expected to change after legalization, research manager Gaurav Mathur said during a panel discussion at an industry conference in Toronto.

Growing high-value food crops in greenhouses is not a viable future in Canada anymore. That’s coming from the head of a company involved in converting greenhouse space in Delta to grow cannabis, while the city’s mayor expresses concerns about the change.

Michael DeGiglio, CEO of Village Farms, says his company continually lost money growing produce and jobs are in jeopardy without a change. So for him, it’s about survival.

He argues vegetable growers here just can’t compete with those in places like Mexico, where he points out much of our produce comes from.

The burgeoning cannabis industry, rife with mergers these days, is adding another to the list.

Four businesses agreed to join forces as TILT Holdings Inc., which will have a market capitalization of more than $500 million and plans to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange, the company said Tuesday. The merger focuses on bundling services -- from software to development of indoor cultivation, rather than amassing marijuana volume, according to Chief Executive Officer Alex Coleman.

Pot M&A is front of mind for many after Aurora Cannabis Inc. agreed to buy Canadian rival MedReleaf Corp. Monday in the largest pot deal to date. The combined producer will have the capacity to grow 570,000 kilos (1.26 million pounds) of marijuana a year across two countries.

Creso Pharma’s cannabis production facility is currently under construction in Windsor, Nova Scotia. According to documents from the Australia-based company’s website, the site is approximately 20,000 square feet and could produce between 2,000 and 4,000 kilograms of cannabis annually. (COLIN CHISHOLM / Hants Journal)

WINDSOR, N.S. — An Australian company will become a tenant in Windsor’s industrial park just in time for marijuana use to become legalized.

Creso Pharma, a publicly traded company based in Australia, is hoping that the impending legalization of marijuana in Canada will be a boon for its growing cannabis industry, which includes supplying recreational and medical marijuana products.