Chris Lowrey
LITCHFIELD Oct. 24, 2018
The work on LiveWell Foods Inc. cannabis growing greenhouse project in Litchfield has been halted.
The project was announced in February of this year and featured a planned 540,000 square foot greenhouse facility along with a global innovation centre for research purposes at the Pontiac Industrial Park.
According to LiveWell Chief Administrative Officer, Michel Lemieux, construction of the facility was halted about two weeks ago because of regulatory changes made by Health Canada.
“Recently, what happened was the Canadian regulations allowed us to grow indoors and outdoors,” he said. “So we have to redesign the project.”

Lemieux said that the company plans on reconfiguring the project in the hopes that outdoor growing will be better for its bottom line.
“That gives us a very good opportunity to increase our competitiveness in terms of costs,” he said. “So less indoor and more outdoor.”
As a result of the change, Lemieux said the LiveWell team is in the process of analyzing the different aspects of the new regulations.
“That has an impact on our project,” Lemieux said. “On the site, we have to reshape the design of the project.”
LiveWell’s plan was to start with a 100,000 square foot greenhouse to go along with the company’s planned research centre. As that phase is completed, the company plans to add more greenhouse space.
Since this hiccup is a result of a regulatory change and not related to LiveWell’s business, Lemieux said there should be no worry whether or not the project goes ahead.
“We’re still invested in the project in the area,” he said. “We’re still hiring.”
Most of LiveWell’s employees will be based out of Gatineau until the innovation centre can be completed.
Lemieux said that work should resume in the next four or five weeks.
Despite the reassurances from LiveWell, it appears the company neglected to mention the construction delays to both the MRC and the economic SWAT team.
Pontiac MRC Warden Jane Toller was surprised to hear about the news after the council of mayors meeting on Oct. 17.
Toller said she was “in a bit of shock” when she heard the news.
“I realize now that we have to have regular reports from people from LiveWell,” Toller said. “I usually like to be well-informed and I feel like I have to get to the bottom of this.”
Toller spoke with Lemieux on Oct. 18 and was also told that the reason for the delay was the regulatory change.
“They may not have to build as much square footage now of greenhouses,” Toller said of the regulatory change’s impacts. “Their priority right now is to get the innovation centre started, where the research will be done, and they will continue that as soon as they can.”
Similarly, the head of the economic SWAT team, Jeffrey MacHan, was also surprised by the news.
The Economic SWAT team was established in March of 2017 and tasked with bringing together members of the Pontiac’s business community as well as local politicians to identify projects that could improve the economic well being of the region.
“I didn’t ask him specifically to identify the regulations he mentioned,” MacHan said. He added that he couldn’t find any regulatory change to point to.
Health Canada’s website does not indicate that a recent change has been made to the regulations governing cannabis producers.
However, a representative from Health Canada sent a copy of the Cannabis Licensing Application Guide: Application requirements and process to become a license holder under the Cannabis Act and its Regulations.
“The location of any outdoor cultivation area must be clearly identified,” the guide says. “For any outdoor area, the latitude and longitude coordinates for all four corners must be indicated.”
It appears that Health Canada does allow outdoor growing for producers, but it’s not clear if that regulation has been changed recently.
The guide also goes on to say that a majority of people who responded to a consultation paper said outdoor growing should be allowed. It also said that outdoor growing presented the most economical and environmentally sustainable method of growing.
However, the guide also raises questions about the potential impacts on adjacent agricultural crops, including industrial hemp, and whether outdoor growing presents a greater risk of theft.
Representatives from Health Canada did not respond by press time.
With files from Caleb Nickerson