Williams Lake Indian Band to build $2.5-M cultivation facility

Photo: Contributed

The Williams Lake Indian Band is building a state-of-the-art marijuana grow facility.

The Williams Lake Indian Band is getting into the marijuana business in a big way.

The band recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a state-of-the-art, architecturally designed cannabis micro-cultivation facility.

With 2,150 square of canopy space contained within a 7,000-square-foot building envelope, the project will have the first farm-gate cannabis retail outlet in the province.

“This is an amazing day for the Williams Lake Indian Band and for the Cariboo,” said Chief Willie Sellars. “This project has been years in the making and is the product of extensive planning and engagement.”

The approximately $2.5-million project has received funding from the province through its Rural Community Grants Program, from Indigenous Services Canada through its Community Opportunity Readiness Program and from Northern Development Initiatives Trust through the Economic Development Infrastructure Stream.

“This project means investment in this region,” said Sellars. “It means money in the pockets of local contractors and subcontractors. It means up to 20 new jobs in a town that has been hammered by the decline in the forestry industry, by the wildfires of 2017 and now the COVID crisis. It means attracting tourists to this region to see something that is the first of its kind in the country.

“I think it’s just beginning to sink in with everyone just how groundbreaking this project is and what this means for WLIB and for First Nations across the country. This is the template that everyone will want to follow.”

The facility is expected to be up and running in nine months.

The general contractor will be Williams Lake-based Lauren Brothers Construction with all the subtrades and the bulk of building materials being sourced locally.

“Well planned, high-quality development delivered by local people is what’s desperately needed in this area,” asserts Chief Sellars. “We’ve struggled to attract development to Williams Lake and often what we see proposed is low-quality, dirty development which frequently has profound environmental or other implications. This project is regulated by Health Canada, and is extremely green and energy efficient. It’s exactly what we need and the strong support for this project demonstrates that. It’s fantastic to look around today and see the local team that we’ve assembled to deliver this project.”