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Construction on Collingwood marijuana facility could start in March, says official

The 120,000-square-foot Georgian Bay Biomed site will be located on Mountain Road in Collingwood
2019-11-25 Biomed JO-001
The Georgian Bay Biomed site on Mountain Road in Collingwood. Jessica Owen/CollingwoodToday

While the project has seen a significant delay, the president of Georgian Bay Biomed hopes to break ground in March on the Collingwood site, which will supply medical-grade marijuana.

“It’s been on hold for a little while now, but there’s no issues and whatever rumours you may hear are categorically false,” said company president Tim Boosamra.

In November, Boosamra said construction at the Mountain Road site was delayed due to negotiations on a joint venture with a western Canadian company.

“The paperwork is still tied up with the lawyers. The closing of this deal has taken a little longer than anticipated, but everything is moving along perfectly,” he said Friday.

Boosamra says he hopes the legal paperwork part of the process will be completed within two weeks. He said he’s not yet at liberty to speak on specifics, but confirmed that a partnership deal with the Calgary-based company is the main reason for the hold up.

A deal "is well on its way to being signed. We’re hoping to have construction moving as of March 1,” he said.

Boosamra also said the outstanding $1 million in charges and fees has still not been paid to the Town of Collingwood, but will be once all the paperwork is signed.

“Why would I want to put my million dollars in someone else’s account when I can keep it earning interest in mine?” said Boosamara, with a laugh. “When we need the permit to be drawn, we’ll pay the $1 million.”

In April, Boosamra said he expected the building on Mountain Road would be open by October 2019. He also said the site would be fully licensed in 2020.

The 120,000-square-foot Georgian Bay Biomed site will produce medical-grade marijuana. The website for the company advertises the use of automation and patented technology to produce a consistent product.

On Friday, Boosamra confirmed none of the plans for the facility had changed, aside from the timeline.

Georgian Bay Biomed’s website also advertised a second site called Georgian Pines. Last year, Boosamra said his company had first right of refusal on a parcel of land in the Collingwood area for the second location, however on Friday said that facility will now be built in Calgary instead.

“Because of the deal we’re looking at for the western group, that secondary facility is now being built just south of Calgary,” he said.


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Jessica Owen

About the Author: Jessica Owen

Jessica Owen is an experienced journalist working for Village Media since 2018, primarily covering Collingwood and education.
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