OLDS - Sundial Growers acknowledges odours are emanating from the company’s cannabis production facility in town and mitigation efforts are underway.
The Town of Olds has fielded a number of complaints about a stench permeating the town on a number of occasions.
“They say it stinks, there’s a stench. Some think its cannabis, some think compost at the college, the auction mart, but all in that (southeast) corner (of town),” said Monica Leatherdale, the town’s communications coordinator.
The town issued a statement on Nov. 8, honing in on complaints about Sundial Growers as the source of “offensive odours” and directed complainants to contact Sundial as well as Health Canada -- the cannabis production company’s regulator.
Sundial has now issued its own statement, acknowledging it is working on mitigating odour.
“We understand that the odour might be unpleasant for some people, and we apologize for the inconvenience—we want to assure you that we are working on it,” the statement reads.
Along with already installing additional odour control in the trim and dry rooms of the facility, the company says it has installed external air vents rather than pushing air through its air handling units.
“We are working on the dehumidification capabilities of the rooms, which will in turn move air faster and decrease odour that remains in the room,” the statement reads.
To that end, the company says it has trialed an in-line ducting solution for odour control within rooms, using a Hydroxyl Odorators filtration system.
“Our initial tests have proved to be successful in mitigating odour within the room,” the statement reads.
The trial will last at least a month and if successful, the company says use of the new system would still be a few months away, allowing for time to order the units and then install.
If successful, the company says it will be installing these units in each of the licensed rooms as an upgrade to its HVAC systems and equipment.
Sundial announced in August that it received Health Canada approval for an additional 115,000 square feet of cannabis cultivation at its flagship facility in Olds.
The newly licensed space includes 34 additional purpose-built modular rooms for the cultivation of premium cannabis, almost doubling the total number of flowering rooms to 74.
In July, the company completed its 150th harvest of 2019.
In its second quarter of 2019, the company harvested 9,551 kilograms of cannabis from 94 crops compared to 1,896 kilograms from 30 crops in its first quarter.
“This industry is evolving, and we are continually trying to find more efficient and effective systems and technology for our business, with odour reduction being one of them,” Sundial’s statement reads.
As the cannabis industry is federally regulated, and the issue of cannabis odour from production facilities falls under Health Canada regulations, the Town of Olds is directing complainants to contact Health Canada’s Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Branch (CLRB) at 1-866-337-7705 in addition to contacting the company through email at [email protected].
