Aurora Cannabis Inc. has received a cultivation license from Health Canada for its under-construction, 800,000-square-foot facility at the Edmonton International Airport, dubbed Aurora Sky. The facility will be able to produce more than 100,000 kilograms (220,462 pounds) of cannabis annually.
“The licensing of Aurora Sky is a game changing milestone for the cannabis industry and an exciting inflection point in Aurora’s corporate development. This is our second new facility to receive a cultivation license in three months – a true testament to Aurora’s industry-leading ability to execute. The additional cultivation capacity will allow us to further expand our domestic and international market share very quickly, and is expected to significantly accelerate revenue growth this year.” – Terry Booth, Aurora CEO, in a press release
The company intends to transfer genetics from its Cremona, Alberta facility – Aurora Mountain – and begin its first growing cycle at Aurora Sky within the next week. The first harvest is slated for the second calendar quarter of this year.
This is the latest big win for the producer as Canada moves forward with broad legalization plans. Last week, Aurora came to ‘friendly’ terms with CanniMed in an $852 million deal that, if approved, will create the most valuable cannabis company in the world. CanniMed was the target of a hostile bid by Aurora before coming to terms with the company. Earlier this month its European arm, Pedanios GmbH, won a contract with the Italian government to provide medical cannabis to the federal government-run program.