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November 20, 2022

VIBE Team

2022 has been a year of accountability and reconciliation toward the Indigenous people of Canada. Solidarity has been shown across Canada, with brands, companies, and government officials coming forward to acknowledge the hardships faced by the Indigenous and sweeping changes being made to ensure that history does not repeat itself. One of the changes that caught our eye is the partnership made between Canada’s largest cannabis convention, Lift Expo (formerly known as Lift&Co Expo), and Chilliwack, BC-based All Nations Cannabis–the country’s largest Indigenous-owned cannabis brand–as they decided to partner for the forthcoming expo happening in Vancouver in January to ensure all aspects of the event are culturally sensitive and respectful.

“We share a mutual respect for the First Nations-owned land in which we live and work,” said Corey Herscu, Director of Growth at Lift Events. “We wanted to make sure that everything planned had the blessing of the First Nations to continue, so we reached out to All Nations to ensure they were aligned with the vision”

We have a common interest in understanding the power of the ally and creating a positive impact with everyone, regardless of cultural background,“ said Darwin Douglas, CEO of All Nations Cannabis. “It has been empowering to do this work with Lift Events, to see movement happening, and to know that we are being listened to and respected.”

Among the initiatives being done in this partnership include outsourcing to indigenous-owned businesses for:

• Shelving
• Paper
• Consumer activations
• Supporting indigenous catering companies
• Menus to be printed in multiple languages, including Hokameilum
• Indigenous staff available at the info booth who can answer indigenous questions.
• Provide literature to support translation.

“This partnership is all about collaboration and learning how to work together to develop a deeper understanding of Indigenous culture in relation to cannabis and beyond. We are excited to see it come to fruition,” continued Herscu.

Shxwhá:y Village, in Partnership with All Nations Opens Licensed Farmgate Cannabis Store

Shxwhá:y Village Traditional Territory (Chilliwack, BC) – All Nations Mestiyexw Holdings (ANMH), a First Nations holding company, born and bred in the Fraser Valley opens its first retail store under the name of All Nations Retail on Shxwhá:y Village traditional territory in Chilliwack, BC. The store will feature products from FN Canna Cultivation and Production, a sister company under ANMH, also located on Shxwhá:y Village traditional territory and an array of cannabis products from licensed producers from across Canada.

This is the first cannabis retail store located on reserve in the lower mainland.  It also happens to be the first store to be opened on reserve with a federally approved production facility. 

The store itself is infused with references to the community where it sits, from the logo that includes local landmarks, the cedar siding that was harvested from Stó:lō lands, the Halq’eméylem language used on the signs inside, and other Shxwhá:y artwork and imagery. This is a strategic decision to tell the story of the Shxwhá:y people and all Indigenous people. 

Darwin Douglas, CEO of ANMH, says it’s taken a long time to get to this point, but he’s proud to help create what he sees as long term economic development on reserve which will support sustainable jobs for the local community.

“At All Nations, we are really focused on strengthening the connection to our Indigenous communities. We are always striving to make a positive socio economic impact in the Indigenous communities where we operate and we can encourage and inspire Indigenous participation in this industry,” says Douglas. “That’s really what we’re about.” Because of their ability to carry their own products through a special agreement with the province, the store is, in practice, the second cannabis “farmgate” to be licensed in BC, and the first in the Lower Mainland. 

“Signing this Section 119 with the province was a long and involved process.  We had to educate the province on many aspects of what we were proposing.  We never quit,” said Chief Robert Gladstone from the Shxwhá:y Village. “Without the support from within the community and the negotiations teams, it’s hard to fathom where we would be.  I am super excited about this opportunity and forever grateful to all our partners for helping us achieve this.” 

ANMH, in partnership with Shxwhá:y Village and other First Nations are moving ahead with plans to open up other stores across the province and in other parts of the country.  As was heard from participants at the opening, this is reconciliation in action.  The push for reconciliation will never end suggested Chief Gladstone.

Media Contact(s):

Bilal Cheema

Strategic Advisor

604.809.6832

Francine Douglas

Marketing & Communications Advisor

604.997.4913

BY JENNIFER FEINBERG

All Nations Cannabis celebrated a soft opening Wednesday on Shxwhá:y Village as the first “farm-gate” cannabis retail store in the Lower Mainland.

It’s unique as a cannabis retail store located on Indigenous land with a 30,000 square-foot licensed production facility just down the road.

“This is a huge accomplishment and this is a momentous day,” said All Nations CEO Darwin Douglas.

All Nations Cannabis can now legally distribute its cannabis products under All Nations Mestiyexw Holdings, a holding company, as partners with Shxwhá:y Village (Skway First Nation), stemming from a provincial licensing agreement made directly with the First Nation on a “government to government” basis.

“The work that we’re doing here to create a business, and an economic base,” took a combination of efforts, Douglas said, from the people of Shxwhá:y, and other Indigenous communities, to their friends, staff, and those who worked together with them to reach this point.

“It really completes the business model we set out to accomplish.”

All Nations Cannabis, at 9433 Schweyey Road, had its licensing approved in July 2022 under Section 119 of the B.C. Cannabis Control and Licensing Act. It is one of six such Indigenous-led licences in the province.

“There’s a lot of people that actually made this happen. It took a lot of work on their part,” said Michelle Roberts, councillor at Shxwhá:y Village.

Patience was key.

“Even though three years sounds like a long time, what they accomplished in those three years is amazing. We’re here today to celebrate that. We’re just really proud of Shxwhá:y Village and All Nations for all their encouragement.”

The All Nations licensed production facility, FN Canna Cultivation and Production, is a sister company, that is less than a minute away on Schwehey Road near Chilliwack, producing strains like “Peanut Butter Breath” or “Modified Grapes” as well as “Mac Daddy” and “Stólō Haze.”

Shxwhá:y Chief Robert Gladstone said last summer that their Herculean effort to get licensed under Section 119 was all about participating in the cannabis economy and creating “hope” for his community, future generations and others.

He called it “reconciliation in action.”

Since shortly after cannabis legalization, they have been trying to control their own their destinies by finding a way to participate in the emerging economy “on a nation-to-nation basis,” Gladstone told The Progress in 2020. There were only four people working in the Shxwha:y community at the time, but now there are more than 20 between the facility and the store.

The Shxwha:y application under Section 119 used the Williams Lake model, on the heels of opening on-reserve cannabis retail stores under the laws of the nation at first, after enacting cannabis laws through land codes.

The province launched a farm-gate sales program in 2022 with the idea of giving B.C. cannabis growers who have Health Canada authorization, like Shxwha:y Village, the ability to sell their products from “farm-gate” stores located or near a production site, as well as direct delivery options for small-scale producers.

“These programs support the government’s commitment to the development of a robust, diverse and sustainable legal cannabis economy in B.C., inclusive of rural and Indigenous communities, while prioritizing health and safety,” provincial release said.

All Nations Cannabis officials say there are plans to open other stores across B.C. and Canada.