World’s Largest Cannabis Greenhouse Breaks Ground at Edmonton International Airport

A decade ago, possessing cannabis, let alone growing cannabis, was unthinkable at any major airport. But cannabis cultivation is “the new normal” at Canadian airports. Construction has commenced for an enormous 800,000 square foot cannabis production facility at the Edmonton International Airport. Aurora Cannabis Inc. plans on completing construction of the project, Aurora Sky, by the first half of 2018.

The $100 million project will serve a job-creator, providing 200-300 jobs for the local community. It’s also the world’s largest cannabis greenhouse and the largest cannabis facility in Canada. “It’s astonishing. We’re building the country’s largest cannabis facility on 30 acres of federal land,” Cam Battley, executive vice-president of Aurora Cannabis, recently told the Edmonton Journal. “We’re not fooling ourselves. The legalization of marijuana needs to be done responsibly. We’re working with partners in government to do it right.”

Aurora Cannabis already operates a 55,000 square foot production facility in Mountain View, Alberta, and is poised to acquire an additional 40,000 square foot facility in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Aurora Cannabis is now capable of producing 100,000 kg of top-shelf cannabis per year, according to Battley’s estimates. When legal cannabis rolls out in Canada next year, that number could rise up to 1 million kilograms per year, or 2,204,622.62 pounds of cannabis, an amount that’s difficult to fathom.

Aurora’s automation technology has reached the apex of commercial cannabis production. Aurora Sky will feature a hybrid greenhouse, which was designed the original cultivation experts, the Dutch. Critical elements such as light, temperature, humidity and nutrients, are all precisely controlled. The company spent over a year devising the most advanced closed system hybrid greenhouse.

According to Battley, authorities from Edmonton International Airport fully support the plan. The mayor of Leduc County, the mayor of the city of Leduc and the Alberta Minister of Municipal affairs all attending the groundbreaking ceremony. Aurora Sky plans on using the airport to provide same and next-day delivery strategies. Another similar plan is to create an “industrial cluster” of businesses in downtown Edmonton to support the cannabis market.