• 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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• Minister’s statement on August Labour Force Survey results

  Source: British Columbia - Government News
  Date: 2026-09-04 16:10:00.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, Economy, Labour, Trade, Infrastructure]

  Acting Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth Adrian Dix released Statistics Canada's August 2026 Labour Force Survey results, showing a national loss of 42,000 jobs while British Columbia experienced the lowest provincial decline among large provinces with a loss of 5,500 jobs. B.C.'s unemployment rate rose to 6.5%, the province's youth unemployment rate reached 13.2%, and the average hourly wage stood at $39.07, leading the country. The provincial government attributed ongoing economic pressures partly to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump while highlighting mitigation efforts through the Look West strategy, federal-provincial supports, and major infrastructure projects like the North Coast Transmission Line.

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• Minister’s statement about Committee on Internal Trade meeting

  Source: British Columbia - Government News
  Date: 2026-08-28 15:38:00.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, National, Trade, Labour, Economy, Governance]

  Federal, provincial, and territorial trade ministers met on August 27, 2026, to ratify amendments to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement establishing a 30-day service standard for labour mobility applications. Ministers committed to signing an agreement by the end of 2026 for the free trade of services and accelerated work on model mutual-recognition legislation by fall 2026. British Columbia previously advanced this domestic trade agenda by passing the Trade Recognition Act (Bill 5) in February 2026, signing a direct-to-consumer alcohol sales agreement targeting implementation by February 2027, and collaborating on the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on the Sale of Goods in November 2025.

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