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The owner of Ace Liquor and Spiritleaf raises its bet on U.S. cannabis, as its manufacturing arm faces a strategic review
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-28 11:00:16.0
Tags: [Alberta, British Columbia, Economy, Industry, Labour, Trade]Edmonton-based retailer SNDL Inc., owner of Ace Liquor, Value Buds, and Spiritleaf, is conducting a strategic review and weighing the potential sale of its unprofitable Canadian cannabis production assets while exiting the dried flower business. The company reported a $52-million write-down and a 28 per cent year-over-year sales drop in its weed production segment, alongside cutting its workforce at its Kelowna, British Columbia manufacturing facility by more than 30 per cent. Simultaneously, SNDL invested $60.8 million into the United States market, acquiring approximately a 92 per cent stake in a partnership controlling Parallel, an American cannabis grower and retailer operating over 50 locations across Florida, Texas, and Massachusetts.
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U.S. bans on Canadian booze hit producers on one of the trade war's thorniest fronts
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-29 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, British Columbia, Trade, Economy, Industry, Agriculture]As part of an escalating Canada-U.S. trade war, the U.S. federal government implemented an import ban prohibiting certain Canadian products—including specific alcohol items, dairy byproducts, molasses, and motorcycles—from crossing the border entirely. The restrictions disproportionately affect independent operators like British Columbia-based distillery Sons of Vancouver, while sparing major multinational spirits companies due to exemptions for bulk shipments over certain volumes. Trade data shows the U.S. previously imported $673 million US in spirits from Canada in 2025, with Spirits Canada noting that about 93 per cent of exported Canadian liquor is destined for the U.S. market. The measures follow retaliatory moves by Canadian provincial premiers who pulled U.S.-made alcohol from provincially run liquor store shelves in March 2025 in response to initial American tariffs.
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BC Business House bringing long-lasting economic benefits after World Cup
Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-09 19:45:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Economy, Trade, Tourism, Industry, Technology]The Government of British Columbia hosted the BC Business House during the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches at BC Place in Vancouver, welcoming over 2,300 attendees from 25 countries to build international trade and investment relations. The initiative, part of the Province's Look West strategy, featured 22 business-related sector showcase events covering technology, life sciences, mining, energy, agriculture, food processing, and tourism. Survey results indicated that 91.5% of attendees rated the experience positively and 81.2% reported successfully establishing new business connections. Delegations and business representatives from organizations such as the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, AI Network of BC, Simon Fraser University, Invest Vancouver, and CNANO Pharmaceuticals participated in the economic development programming.
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Strengthening value-added wood manufacturing on Vancouver Island
Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-09 17:30:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Economy, Industry, Resources, Housing, Trade]The Government of B.C. has committed up to $2 million through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund to support an expansion project by Ron Anderson & Sons Ltd. in Chemainus. The investment helps the wood-product manufacturer upgrade equipment, diversify its product line to include prefabricated floors, roof panels, and stairs, and create 35 new jobs by the time construction is completed in February 2027. This initiative forms part of the broader provincial Look West strategy and $153 million in total commitments across more than 150 manufacturing projects designed to boost regional supply chains and counteract U.S. tariffs.
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Helping B.C. companies showcase their new tech
Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-09 16:00:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Economy, Technology, Industry, Trade]The Government of British Columbia, through the Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth and Innovate BC, is launching a second call for applications under the Integrated Marketplace platform's Early-Stage Demonstration Call (ESDC) backed by $2 million in funding. Eligible early-stage B.C. tech companies can apply for pilot-scale demonstrations receiving up to 40% of project costs to a maximum of $500,000 per project to prove performance and validate new technologies in real-world environments. The application intake runs from September 28 until October 30, 2026, building on a previous round that supported 14 companies with nearly $3.5 million. The program is part of the Province's Look West strategy to foster an independent economy, support local startups like Mostar Labs, and help companies navigate U.S. tariffs.
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Setting new harvest level in Omineca region
Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-04 16:45:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Resources, Environment, Indigenous, Industry, Economy]British Columbia's deputy chief forester has reduced the allowable annual cut (AAC) for Tree Farm Licence 30 in the Omineca region by 17.6% to 340,000 cubic metres, effective September 4, 2026. The independent regulatory decision under the Forest Act accounts for changing economic availability, climate change considerations, and the protection of archeological sites, rare ecosystems, streams, fish habitat, and wildlife such as moose. The approximately 180,000-hectare licence area, located northeast of Prince George in the Prince George Natural Resource District, overlaps the traditional territories of the Lheidli T’enneh Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band, West Moberly First Nations, and Tsay Keh Dene Nation, whose consultations and stewardship input informed the final determination.
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Helping businesses adapt, grow, create jobs through new grants
Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-08-28 18:15:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, National, Economy, Labour, Industry, Indigenous]The Governments of Canada and British Columbia have launched a $2.7 million funding initiative under Phase 2 of the Rural and Remote Employment Initiatives Fund to support northern B.C. businesses and First Nations development corporations responding to global tariffs. Administered by the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT), the funding is split into two programs opening for applications on September 2, 2026: the Business Diversification and Sustainability (BDS) program, which provides grants of up to $200,000 covering up to 75% of project costs for small and medium-sized businesses totaling $1.8 million, and the First Nations Business Development Capacity Building program, which provides up to $75,000 per applicant covering up to 90% of eligible costs totaling $900,000. The investment is supported by federal funding through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement as part of a broader $5-million provincial response to tariffs.
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Interprovincial trade barriers are falling. But rewriting old rules will take time
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-28 14:14:49.0
Tags: [National, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Trade, Economy, Industry]Federal and provincial ministers met in Iqaluit and Prince Edward Island to advance interprovincial trade agreements, building on a recent nine-province accord allowing direct-to-consumer alcohol sales across provincial lines. International Monetary Fund estimates indicate that removing internal trade barriers could increase Canada's real grossD product by up to seven per cent, or approximately $210 billion, over the long term. Priorities for ongoing discussions include securing a freer flow of services by the end of the year, harmonizing approval processes for prefabricated homes and building materials, and facilitating food trade. Meanwhile, University of Ottawa professor Wolfgang Alschner is utilizing artificial intelligence to catalogue approximately 17,000 regulatory texts across Canada to systematically identify and eliminate unnecessary trade divergences.
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