Sundial Growers breaks ground for marijuana facility

With the swinging of six golden shovels and the tipping of six cowboy hard hats, Sundial Growers has officially started construction on a $110-million cannabis growing operation in Olds.

An official groundbreaking ceremony was held last week (July 18) at the southeast industrial area location. The first phase of the 405,000-square-foot facility will comprise four greenhouse units at a cost of $29 million, with construction estimated to be completed in early 2018, and operational by next summer.

"What else can I say," said Stan Swiatek, founder and chief operating officer of the Airdrie-based company, "other than, it's big ñ it's a big deal."

Swiatek said he did some math, and estimates some 500 people ñ from consultants and investors, to employees and town officials ñ were involved in getting the company to this place.

"This thing has not been easy," he said. "It's been a long, hard road. A lot of difficulties that this emerging industry has gone through ñ one of them is community support."

Indeed, he said, one of the main difficulties throughout the process has been in convincing municipalities to buy in to the new industry.

"When they gave me the green light, there was a tear in my eye," he said. "With that I made a promise to the town of Olds, that as long as I am here, I will make sure that we have a win-win situation, between Sundial and the town."

"This is more about that, than anything else for me. From the heart."

Roy McIntyre, the Olds-based quality assurance person for Sundial's Airdrie facility, said the groundbreaking was a culmination of many meetings and tremendous cooperation.

"We thank you for taking the time to research, to educate yourselves, and recognize not only the medical benefits of medical marijuana, but also the economic benefits that will come from the relationship between ourselves and this great community," he said during the ceremony.

Part of that benefit will come in the form of jobs: the new facility is expected to eventually employ some 200 people, including 60 for this first phase. The operation will need everything from accounting staff, administration, growers and more technical researchers and managers, to cleaning staff.

In fact, their first local employee has already signed on. Lorrie Smith, who holds a degree in microbiology and has 20 years of experience in quality control, will be the quality assurance person for the new facility.

"The whole field excites me," she said, "the direction that it's going and the fact that they will be able to make medicine to treat certain things, and I wholly back that and believe in the science of that."

While Swiatek and his team may have had trouble convincing municipalities, McIntyre says the people he's spoken with are open to the new industry.

"When I first started, I was kind of hesitant," he said. "The more people that I've talked to, everybody is like, ëOh wow, that's really awesome!' ñ and not because it's marijuana, and they think about the 'high' side of it, but just because they think that it's an interesting field."

Olds' mayor Judy Dahl has found something similar. Asked whether there was any pushback, she said the community has been given a chance to voice concerns.

"Let me put it this way Ö we had three public hearings, and two people came," she said. "And they are doing their shovel dig today. So it was not contentious."

"I think this is a great day in the town of Olds," said the mayor. "This is where you see collaboration work ñ when you see businesses come in and don't get pushed out, and run away, because we can sit down and work with them."

CAO Michael Merritt said the implications of having such a large commercial property paying taxes will be significant, and that revenue helps with infrastructure throughout the entire town. But the impact goes further than that, he said.

"This is a good news story for not only Olds, this is a good news story for Canada, that we are basically able to produce quality product to help people in need," said Merritt. "I am happy I am part of the team, I am late coming here, but it shows a progressive community that keeps its mind open to what's good for people."

Swiatek also said that this is more than just a small-town story.

"I'm happy to see that the Calgary news came out, because this isn't just about Olds," he said. "It is also significant to Alberta; any economic growth that goes on in Alberta helps all of us."