Scandal Forces Canadian Company to Destroy $77 Million Worth of Weed - VICE

Embattled cannabis producer CannTrust says it will destroy $77 million worth of weed to comply with federal regulators. The Canadian company is at the centre of an illegal grow op scandal that forced out its CEO, resulted in job cuts, and left a lot of people with questions about how the legal weed industry operates.

CannTrust first got in trouble with regulators for producing millions of dollars worth of cannabis at a southern Ontario greenhouse that wasn’t licensed. Health Canada froze more than half of CannTrust’s stock of weed and cancelled its licence to produce and sell cannabis in September after the company was busted for growing illegal weed in July. The cannabis assets that the company has to destroy—$12 million worth of pot plants and clippings and $65 million worth of inventory—were not authorized by CannTrust’s licence.

Since that crackdown, CannTrust has fired its CEO, Peter Aceto, and let everyone know about the regulatory investigations into its business. In September, it announced plans to lay off 20 percent of its workforce. The company has said that its finances may have to be recalculated, based on new developments. CannTrust had previously estimated that the impact of regulatory issues would cost $51 million.

The illicit growing scandal has wiped out hundreds of millions of dollars of the company’s value on stock markets.

On Monday, CannTrust said it wouldn’t challenge Health Canada’s suspension order, which stops it from producing and selling cannabis even though it can continue to cultivate and harvest weed. According to the company’s latest statement, it seeks “the full reinstatement of its licences.”

When asked about how, exactly, the company plans to destroy all that cannabis, CannTrust spokesperson Jane Shapiro told VICE in an email that: “The destruction of this material is both an essential and integral part of CannTrust executing its remediation plan, as well as addressing Health Canada's remediation expectations. The Company will have more to say about its remediation plan in the coming weeks.”

CannTrust has stated that some of its illicit product was exported to Australia and Denmark. BNN Bloomberg reported that, according to internal company documents, late last year senior operating staff brought black market cannabis seeds into production facilities in Pelham, Ontario. This would have allowed CannTrust to boost its production.

Based on current vacancies in the “careers” section of CannTrust’s website, the company is currently looking for a full-time senior director of quality and compliance as well as an alternate quality assurance professional.

Follow Anne Gaviola on Twitter.

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October 16, 2019 at 12:22AM

Air Canada drops 'ladies and gentlemen' greeting on planes for a gender neutral welcome - National Post

Ladies and gentlemen, no more. Air Canada has changed its standard introductory greeting to address customers as ‘everybody’ or ‘tout le monde’, in an effort to be more inclusive.

The switch to gender-neutral pronouns was announced in an internal memo to company employees over the weekend, according to La Presse. “We want to ensure an inclusive space for everyone, including those who identify with gender X,” reads the memo.

Staff on board the aircraft will now be required to use courtesies such as ‘hello, everyone’ or ‘good evening, everyone,’ reported the French-language media outlet.

“The change will be reflected in the transmission of the Onboard Announcement Manual as part of our commitment to respect gender identity, diversity and inclusion. We will tell you when this transmission will be available and when to implement this change, “reads the rest of the release, as quoted.

Air Canada has not yet confirmed to the National Post if and when the changes will be implemented.

A spokesperson for the company told CTV, “We work hard to make sure all employees feel like valued members of the Air Canada family, while ensuring our customers are comfortable and respected when they choose to travel with us.”

The policy change comes four months after the government began to allow citizens to mark their gender as non-binary ‘X’, rather than male or female, on their passports. Various airlines have followed suit in an effort to recognize gender neutrality.

In March, the United Airlines became the first U.S. airline to recognize gender-neutral pronouns after offering a gender-neutral title ‘Mx’ alongside ‘Mr’ and “Mrs.”

The announcement has been met with some backlash on social media, with users commenting that the change is unnecessary.

Jesus Christ 🙄. The wokening of corporate Canada continues. We must rebuild our society so the fringe of the fringe of the fringe can have their demands met. "Happy winter celebration period to all of the citizen units."https://t.co/pJcyDGdSua

— Bill Binns (@BdgBill) October 14, 2019

OMG Really ! Who could possibly be offended by an announcement starting with “Ladies and Gentlemen” ? If anyone is offended by this, then I’m offended by being referred to as “Everyone”.
While I applaud Air Canada for being inclusive, this is just a little bit too much.

— Roger Clement (@1_Roger_That) October 14, 2019

However, others have praised the move as a step towards inclusion and furthering discussion on gender-identity.

Yes it seems to be used having a massive overreaction 😂😂😂 does it really bother you that much that they don't stay ladies and gentlemen, sounds like you've never left your house, never mind gone to another country.

— @Bob (@Bobamathing) October 14, 2019

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October 16, 2019 at 04:52AM

Warren Buffett-linked company to build $200M wind power farm in Alberta - CBC.ca

A company linked to U.S. investor Warren Buffett says it will break ground on a $200-million, 117.6-megawatt wind farm in southeastern Alberta next year.

In a release, Calgary-based BHE Canada, a subsidiary of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Energy, says its Rattlesnake Ridge Wind project will be located southwest of Medicine Hat and will produce enough energy to supply the equivalent of 79,000 homes.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy also owns AltaLink, the regulated transmission company that supplies electricity to more than 85 per cent of the Alberta population.

BHE Canada says an unnamed large Canadian corporate partner has signed a long-term power purchase agreement for the majority of the Rattlesnake Ridge energy output.

The project is being developed by U.K.-based Renewable Energy Systems, which is building two other Alberta wind projects totalling 134.6 MW this year and has 750 MW of renewable energy installed or currently under construction in Canada.

BHE Canada and RES are also looking for power purchase partners for the proposed Forty Mile Wind Farm in southeastern Alberta. They say that with generation capacity of 398.5 MW, it could end up being the largest wind power project in Canada.

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October 15, 2019 at 11:50PM

Striking downtown Vancouver hotel workers reach tentative deal - CityNews Vancouver

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A tentative deal has been reached between the union representing approximately 1,500 workers and four hotels in downtown Vancouver.

UNITE HERE Local 40 made the agreement Tuesday morning with Westin Bayshore, Hyatt Regency, Pinnacle Harbourfront and Four Seasons hotels.

Workers for the Rosewood Hotel Georgia are still on strike.

RELATED: Hotel worker strike continues at Vancouver hotels

In a press release, the union says workers will see wage increases over the next four years, new protections against sexual harassment, stronger job security for room attendants, kitchen and restaurant workers, and maintain health insurance.

“Our strike has made the changes we need in the hotel industry! I’m very happy about the workload reductions for room attendants,” Teresita Gonzales with Pinnacle Habourfront hotel writes in a press release.

“The job security we’ve won is also great for our members, our families and will keep our union strong. I’m very proud of our members, we’ve picketed through rain and cold weather for this fight, and we feel united and strong with this tentative agreement reached.”

RELATED: Singh walks picket line with striking hotel workers in Vancouver

Workers at some hotels went on strike at the end of August after wage negotiations fell through. Support for workers facing sexual harassment was a key issue, as well as on-the-job safety.

On Monday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh joined hotel workers in a demonstration during a campaign stop in Vancouver.

The BC Federation of Labour recently called for a boycott of four of the five hotels to support workers.

Union member were asked not to cross picket lines, with some high-profile bookings being cancelled.

– With files from Marcella Bernardo and the Canadian Press

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October 16, 2019 at 05:16AM

GM shares rise as sources say automaker, union nearing deal to end strike - CBC.ca

General Motors Co. and the United Auto Workers union were near a deal on Tuesday to end a 30-day strike that has cost the automaker about $2 billion US after chief executive Mary Barra and president Mark Reuss took part in contract talks, according to two people briefed on the matter.

While a final agreement has not been announced, the No. 1 U.S. automaker and the union have agreed to terms on most issues but were finalizing the wording on some matters, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the talks were continuing.

A deal was expected to be announced on Wednesday.

GM declined to comment on the involvement of its top two executives in the negotiations. A UAW spokesperson declined to comment.

The union has summoned its national council of factory-level leaders to Detroit for a meeting Thursday, billed as an update on contract talks. The group could be assembling to vote on a tentative agreement. It also will decide if workers should return to their jobs before or after they vote on the deal.

"I don't think Mary Barra would have returned unless they were making progress," said Art Wheaton, an auto industry expert at the Worker Institute at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. "And I don't think they'd have told everybody to return to Detroit on Thursday."

General Motors declined to comment on the involvement in the talks of the No. 1 U.S. automaker's top two executives, including chief executive Mary Barra. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

Shares of GM rose on news of a potential settlement, closing Tuesday up 2.1 per cent at $36.26 US.

The UAW strike began on Sept. 16, with the union's members at GM seeking higher pay, greater job security, a bigger share of profit and protection of health-care benefits. Other issues include the fate of plants GM has indicated could close and the use of temporary workers.

It is the longest strike against an automaker since a 54-day strike in 1998 in Flint, Mich., which cost GM $2 billion US. The union also went on a brief two-day strike against General Motors in 2007.

After GM angered the UAW negotiators last week by appealing directly to workers and revealing details of the Detroit automaker's latest offer, the sides have continued talking. The UAW made a counter offer to GM on Friday.

Details of GM's revised offer emerged over the weekend and included an increase of its proposed ratification bonus by $1,000 to $9,000. GM also proposed three per cent pay raises in the second and fourth year of the four-year-contract and three per cent and four per cent lump sum payments in the first and fourth year respectively.

It agreed to make temporary workers with three years of service permanent and give those workers a $3,000 ratification bonus.

The Center for Automotive Research in Michigan has estimated the strike's weekly costs to GM and the UAW strike fund at $450 million US and $12 million, respectively.

The strike has led to hundreds of temporary job cuts at GM's Ontario locations, though production restarted last week at the company's assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont.

In addition, suppliers are feeling the effects of the work stoppage.

Guelph, Ont.-based parts producer Linamar Corp. has said the strike was costing it about $1 million Cdn a day, while Canadian-based auto parts giants Magna International Inc. and Martinrea International Inc. are also being impacted in terms of lost revenue.

The strike has also seen production at two plants in Mexico halted.

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October 15, 2019 at 10:57PM

GM, UAW Move Closer to Deal That Would End Strike - The Wall Street Journal

GM CEO Mary Barra, shown here in March, met with UAW officials on Tuesday. Photo: rebecca cook/Reuters

By

Mike Colias and

Mike Colias
The Wall Street Journal
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• @MikeColias
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Nora Naughton

Nora Naughton
The Wall Street Journal
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• @NoraNaughton
• nora.naughton@wsj.com

Updated Oct. 15, 2019 12:38 pm ET

General Motors Co. GM 2.42% and the United Auto Workers are nearing a contract deal to end a 30-day strike at the company’s factories with bargainers moving closer on earlier sticking points and leaders from each side engaging in high-level talks.

GM Chief Executive Mary Barra for the first time since the strike began met with UAW officials at the bargaining table Tuesday morning in an effort to solidify an agreement, according to people familiar with the discussions. UAW President Gary Jones also attended the bargaining session, as did GM President Mark Reuss, one of Ms. Barra’s top lieutenants, the people said.

After clashing publicly last week, GM and the union made progress during lengthy bargaining sessions in recent days, working through thorny issues including wages and the pay scale for new hires, the people said. In a sign of progress, UAW leadership on Monday called union-hall officials from GM’s plants across the country to Detroit for a Thursday “contract update.”

Ms. Barra met with Mr. Jones last week for a private meeting in offices at GM’s headquarters in Detroit but the CEO hasn’t attended regular bargaining sessions. The UAW and GM are negotiating for a new four-year labor agreement to replace one that expired mid-September for more than 46,000 GM hourly workers.

GM shares were up 2% in morning trading Tuesday. They have declined about 7% since the strike began.

GM has given ground on one of the union’s key demands by proposing to shrink the eight-year period that a new hire must work to reach top wage, now about $30 an hour, people close to the talks said.

The sides have spent recent bargaining sessions working out the details of those changes and how they would affect the broader structure of any deal, the people said.

The Detroit car maker has also offered to raise pay in each of the contract’s four years through a combination of wage increases and bonus payouts, though the overall framework of the structure is still being negotiated, the people said.

Union bargainers had pressed for wage bumps in each year. GM’s proposal is to increase wages by 3% in two of the contract’s four years, with lump-sum bonus payments of 4% in the other two years, the people said.

Those bonus payouts have been used by GM and the other Detroit auto makers in the past to keep a lid on long-term labor costs. The union has pressed for wage increases each year to lock in higher pay rates beyond the contract’s four-year term.

On Monday, the UAW set a national meeting of its GM council, a group of more than 100 local union leaders from around the country, for a contract update on Thursday in Detroit. This is typically a sign the sides are nearing an agreement, as the council must vote to distribute a tentative agreement to members for ratification.

Union and company bargainers now are discussing the finer points of new contract language, having found common ground after earlier differences including on health care, profit-sharing and a pathway to full-time status for temporary workers, the people close to the talks said. This progress moves negotiations closer to the final stages, though these people cautioned the situation is fluid and the process already has been marked by numerous setbacks.

Last week, UAW leaders and GM executives publicly sparred over the pace of talks, accusing each other of impeding negotiations. Heading into the weekend, Terry Dittes, the UAW’s top bargainer with GM, told members in a Friday letter the union had presented a contract proposal that could result in a settlement if the company accepts.

The pay disparity between new hires and veteran workers has been a point of contention throughout talks and remains a final major subject of bargaining as negotiators work out the details of a compressed path to full wages, the people close to the talks say.

The UAW has long been frustrated that workers with less seniority must wait years to reach pay parity with longer-tenured factory employees, and its leaders have been pushing to shorten the timetable. New workers start at about $17 an hour and receive pay increases each year until they arrive at the top wage.

The financial damage continues to mount for GM. Credit Suisse analyst Dan Levy last week estimated the strike’s cost to GM at about $1.5 billion, even if the company manages to recoup some lost production after the strike ends. The hit comes from lost output of more than 100,000 vehicles as well as disruption to a major cost-cutting plan GM outlined late last year that was aimed at eliminating $4.5 billion in annual expenses.

“We expect GM may need to walk back some of those [cost-saving estimates],” Mr. Levy wrote in an investor note Friday.

GM’s cost-cutting moves, which included plans to close four U.S. factories, stoked anger among UAW officials and workers and in part led union leaders in recent days to push for greater job security.

Last week, Mr. Dittes told members in a letter that any gains in wages and benefits wouldn’t matter without a concrete commitment from GM to build vehicles in U.S. factories. The UAW has long criticized GM for importing vehicles built in Mexico and China to the U.S. market.

“We believe that the vehicles GM sells here should be built here,” Mr. Dittes wrote to members on Oct. 8. “We don’t understand GM’s opposition to this proposition.”

The union wants to strengthen the language in the current moratorium on plant closings and sales, one person close to the talks said. In the 2015 contract, the sides agreed that GM wouldn’t close or idle any factories outside of collective bargaining, barring extreme market conditions or “an act of God.”

GM’s description of the factories as “unallocated” in November, to indicate no future vehicles were earmarked to be built at those four UAW-represented factories in the near future, deliberately avoided these terms, the union has said.

An updated offer from GM early last week boosted the amount the company intends to spend on U.S. factories to around $9 billion, from $7 billion previously, the people close to the talks said. That investment figure includes upgrades to a Detroit assembly plant that is now slated for closure, where GM plans to build a new electric-pickup truck in coming years.

Write to Mike Colias at Mike.Colias@wsj.com

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/gm-uaw-negotiators-are-pressing-for-a-deal-to-end-30-day-strike-11571150340

2019-10-15 16:38:00Z
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CannTrust to destroy $77M of plants and inventory to comply with rules - CTV News

VAUGHAN, Ont. -- CannTrust Holdings Inc. says it will destroy $77 million worth of pot plants and inventory as part of its efforts to comply with regulations as authorized by Health Canada.

The Vaughan, Ont.-based company received a notice of licence suspension in September from the federal regulator indicating its authority to produce cannabis, other than cultivating and harvesting, and to sell pot had been suspended.

The company says its board of directors has determined it necessary to destroy $12 million worth of biological assets and about $65 million worth of inventory that was not authorized by CannTrust's licence.

CannTrust says it will not challenge Health Canada's partial suspensions and remains focused on working with the regulator.

It says this destruction process will free up "much needed capacity" to implement remediation measures and store material that has been grown and processed in accordance with the company's license since April 5.

They say they will implement measures identified by the regulator including ensuring cannabis is produced and distributed only as authorized, and improving record keeping as well as inventory tracking.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2019.

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October 15, 2019 at 05:25PM