Pot will transform local jobs

Photo: The Canadian Press

Legalized cannabis will usher in major economic shifts in the Okanagan as economic activity explodes and the labor market transforms dramatically.

Those are just some the predictions a panel of industry experts came to today at a Kelowna Chamber of Commerce luncheon exploring the business of cannabis in the valley.

Okanagan College professor David Cram told the packed house that when pot is officially legalized this year it will mean a massive shift in the workforce.

“With the number of square footage (of production facilities) that is being built out in B.C. right now, I think there’s going to be an enormous drain on personnel when these facilities are all up and running,” he said.

Peter Guo, who leads MNP’s Enterprise Risk Services practice, agreed but said the “giant movement re-deploying the human capital in this area” won’t necessarily be a bad thing.

He said the plethora of new opportunities in the cannabis industry has the potential to provide retraining for people who aren’t “fully participating in the economy” right now.

For more on exactly how much pot the government believes is grown in B.C., as well as why Guo says we will likely soon see the "bud light of pot" emerge, check out the full story on Castanet's sister business news website Okanagan Edge.