PORT ELGIN - Some of the 425 job-seekers called back for interviews after the Supreme Pharmaceutical/7ACRES job fair May 6 at the Port Elgin Plex are waiting anxiously for job offers for 16 to 20 production and sanitation jobs at the licenced medical marijuana cultivation operation in Tiverton, where the starting wage is $17 an hour, plus benefits.
The company interviewed chosen call-backs May 7 and hoped to hire within days to begin training to gear up for production, accelerated by Federal government plans to legalize recreational adult marijuana by 2018.
First in line was Kincardine's Brian Buttee, an agricultural fertilizer worker looking for a better-paying job, security and medical benefits for his son who has Tourette Syndrome and ADHA.
"I'm thinking of asking our doctor about [medical marijuana] for him because his medication has dropped his [weight] down to critical levels, and if he doesn't build up enough fat, he's going to be on high-maintenance for the rest of the summer," Buttee said after his interview, adding he's looking for alternatives to "spending copious amounts of money on hard-core drugs" for his son.
After attending other job fairs that were chaotic cattle calls, Buttee said the 7ACRES process was quick and easy with lots of staff to help, and he was impressed that Fowler took time to address the line-up of job-seekers that snaked down the stairs and outside the building, a line that lasted until 3:45 p.m.
Fowler thanked the crowd for their interest, saying "good people are a great asset." The current staff of 50, up from 10 last year, will increase to 130 by June 2018.
"We are going to keep the resumes for the other people we're going to hire by the end of the year," Fowler said before he opened the doors and directed people to one of six staffed tables.
In an interview, Fowler said they want career-minded people with a “passion for the plant.”
“That doesn't mean you have to be a user of it, but we always look for that extra connection – maybe it has touched your life or the life of a loved one – and we are looking for people who will work hard because agriculture is one of the hardest jobs in Canada,” Fowler said, adding some people just want to be part of a global event - the first G7 country to legalize cannabis for adult recreational use.
"We want people who will work hard because agricultural work can be back-breaking," Fowler said, adding they also want people who will "grow with us" because that is essential to an entrepreneurial company's success.
There are two grow rooms in production at the Tiverton facility, a former greenhouse, and 7ACRES is waiting for Health Canada approval for sales. Full production by the end of next year would include approximately 30 grow rooms.
Fowler was pleased with the job fair turnout, and the warm welcome he'd received from Bruce County and Saugeen Shores officials who are “willing to embrace entrepreneurial businesses and not be stifled by the stigma around our industry.”
He said 7ACRES will invest $50-$60-million by June next year, in addition to the initial $10 million.
Fowler said the company employs local trades and labour for the expansion and wants to hire locally and become part of the community. With a $2,500 donation last month, 7 ACRES became the titled sponsor of the Port Elgin BIA (Business Improvement Area) Farm to Table dinner in August.
