Established in Moncton in 2013, Organigram is now the largest cannabis producer in Canada by market share.
A $9.3 million modernization project is underway at the company. The provincial government announced today a non-repayable contribution of up to $2 million from Opportunities NB towards that project.
This means the upgrade of 9,000 lights to LED fixtures in 75 grow rooms, which will increase crop yields by about 10 per cent.
This improvement will also boost flower output, enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
“Cannabis is now the province’s most valuable crop, surpassing potatoes and dairy. A reflection of the province’s deep talent-based, strong agricultural foundation and the momentum that comes when industries are empowered to innovate and grow. New Brunswick has become known as one of Canada’s real legal cannabis powerhouses,” Senior Vice President of Operations East Matthew Carreau said.
The investment is expected to increase provincial GDP by over $3.3 million and generate an estimated $424,000 in direct and indirect provincial tax revenue by the end of 2026.
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says they’ve seen the opportunity for growth since the beginning, “New Brunswick has been investing in this space since the early days. We were one of the provinces that saw the strength that we had, as people who know agriculture and now know how to grow things safely. We had a sense of what Organigram could do, to go from a small company with hundreds and hundreds of employees, attracting investments into New Brunswick. Customers across the country and around the world, getting the benefit of something New Brunswick does really well. It’s something we’ve been into for a long, long time because we see the opportunity for growth and how it is contributing to our economy and around the world.”
Carreau says the lighting upgrades were completed within the last month, but they are now waiting for some of those rooms to harvest to prove the increased yield on those rooms. But they expect the next couple of months they have the harvest from those rooms, and then they’ll have the data to support the increase in 10 per cent.
“The investment will get us over 100 million grams at this facility this year. It will be a record for this facility,” Carreau added.
He says this investment and the increased growth in product will mean they can look at more jobs in the future.
Cannabis was legalized in Canada in 2018, but work to reduce the stigmas on cannabis continues.
“There is still a stigma, but we are trying to get people through the facility and exposure to the facility, the value that we bring to the economy to show people that we’re a legitimate business that is creating a number of jobs in the province, over 800 in New Brunswick,” Carreau stated.
