It's the first day to file applications to run retail marijuana shops in Calgary.

The crowds didn't materialize, at least not in person, as the city opened the application process for would-be purveyors of recreational pot in Calgary. 

Most applied online, but there were about two dozen who stood in line at City Hall on Tuesday morning to submit building permit, development permit and business licence applications.

"I think they've been prepping for this and expecting maybe an onrush this morning that they didn't get," said Jeff Mooij, who submitted applications for 11 locations for his company, 420 Premium Market. 

"So things went a lot smoother than anticipated for sure."

Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce is hoping to shed new light on weed and cryptocurrencies as part of its Economic Summit 2018 at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver in Coquitlam. Blockchain and the legalization of cannabis have been popular topics in the business community over the last year. Now, the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce is hoping to shed new light on the subjects as part of its Economic Summit 2018 next month at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver. “We want to really educate the local business community,” said Michael Hind, CEO of the chamber.

Sandoz Canada, Tilray partnership underscores market legitimacy of medical marijuana.

Walls between the previously separate worlds of biotechnology and medical cannabis appear to be coming down.

Sandoz Canada Inc. recently established a partnership with B.C. medical cannabis company Tilray to produce and distribute medical marijuana products. Sandoz Canada is a division of Switzerland’s Novartis (VTX:NOVN), one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

Toronto’s Tilray has its processing plant and facilities in Nanaimo, B.C., and in Enniskillen and London, Ontario. The company employs more than 240 people in four Canadian provinces and seven countries and serves patients all over the world.

Paul Seaborn had front row seat for first full legalization plan in North America.

Paul Seaborn saw something happening all around Colorado that was worth studying, so he lobbied the University of Denver to let him teach a course on it. Seaborn, originally from Corner Brook, is now an assistant professor teaching the business of cannabis.

"There's never been this type of industry so everything that happens is a first and it's great for our students to be a part of that and to understand it," he said.

Seaborn was back in Newfoundland Tuesday for a conference at Memorial University on the challenges and opportunities of legal cannabis.

He dropped by the St. John's Morning Show to explain his work and what he teaches his students.

Booming. Evolving. Complicated. Three words that aptly describe the Canadian cannabis market.

Redfund Capital is positioning itself to jump headfirst into that market, and beyond. 

The goal? To help solve one of the most significant obstacles faced by cannabis related businesses: accessing much-needed funds to succeed in a rapidly changing market.

The merchant bank, which will focus on the funding of companies operating in the cannabis sector, reversed into Parana Copper Corp, with the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE) approving the company’s proposed change of business.

Montreal’s executive-committee member responsible for economic development, Robert Beaudry, announced Monday that the four locations for the first cannabis outlets have been chosen. The locations will be managed by the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ).

The exact addresses have not yet been announced but they will be located near Berri-UQÀM, Radisson, Jean-Talon and Lionel-Groulx métro stations. These shops will be the first to open once the country confirms the legalization date. Four more outlets will be added in Montreal following the initial launch date according to Beaudry.

Panelists at media agency RNMKR's 4/20 breakfast event shared their thoughts on the evolution of cannabis as a product and as a sector.

With panel discussions on the evolution of cannabis, both as a product and as a sector, RNMKR, a media agency, hosted several prominent cannabis personalities to discuss the future of the market.

A breakfast event last Friday (April 20) featured two different panels, one honing in on how Canada is poised to raise large amounts of capital in the cannabis space, and the other focusing on the impact of marijuana finding its way to retailers.

The Ontario Provincial Police are preparing for this summer's anticipated legalization of marijuana by the federal Liberal government.

Recreational marijuana use was scheduled to be legalized across Canada by July 1. The way was clearned in March with the Senate voting for approval in principle of the federal government’s enabling legislation. However, the final Senate vote is currently scheduled for June 7. The provincial and territorial governments in charge of distribution will likely require an additional eight to 12 weeks to complete preparations to sell the drug. Provincially, Queen's Park passed a bill in December creating a provincial agency that will distribute and retail pot through storefronts and online.

The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority is now accepting applications for wholesale cannabis permits and licensed producers. There is no limit in the province on the number of wholesale permits, but those permittees can only sell to retailers and not to the general public.

Wholesale permit fees run $5,000, including a $2,000 non-refundable application fee and a $3,000 annual fee. The registration fee for federally-licensed producers is $2,000, including a $500 non-refundable application fee and a $1,500 annual permit fee.

Hamilton councillors want the city and the province to get tougher with landlords who rent space to owners of pot dispensaries.

Since early this year Hamilton police have been cracking down on illegal storefront pot shops across the city. As of January, there were about 46 illegal marijuana dispensaries in Hamilton. As of last October, police had raided, seized product and laid charges against 10 outlets, with most of them reopening soon after.

Those raids included two in Stoney Creek. But one pot dispensary at the corner of Highway 8 and DeWitt Road continues to operate, even though it is down the street from Orchard Park High School and across the street from the Oxford Learning Centre.