Cannabis company creating new jobs for Belleville

Former Sears distribution centre acquired by Quebec group. Photo by Tyson Nayler, QNet News.

By Tyson Nayler

BELLEVILLE – With the legalization of marijuana in Canada approaching, Belleville will soon become a major manufacturing city for cannabis and cannabis products.

Earlier this week, Hexo Corp., a medical marijuana and cannabis product company in Quebec, acquired a 25 per cent stake in the former Sears Distribution Centre on College Street, which was purchased by Quebec-based Olegna Holdings in early September. The property is more than one hundred and eighty five thousand square meters and was for sale since January. 

The warehouse closed after Sears filed for bankruptcy in late 2017 and 600 jobs here were lost. Karen Poste, the manager of economic and strategic initiative for the city of Belleville said, “the investment is important for us because we now have a new owner that is interested in filling that building with good pharmaceutical jobs.”

Poste said that she believes one of the reasons Belleville was attractive to the group has to do with the work Loyalist College is doing with the new cannabis applied science program.

“We will be encouraging Hexo to connect with the college, if they haven’t already,” Poste said.

On Oct. 1, city council will be holding a public meeting to change the zoning by-law on the former Sears distribution centre, that will allow a medical marijuana production facility.  Once passed council will then review the new zoning on Oct. 9. If approved, the zoning will be in place by Oct. 29.