Elgin County Conference Series

CANNABIZ IN THE COUNTY

This one-day seminar held on November 6th, 2019 provided attendees with a deeper look into the cannabis economy. Attendees heard from the top cannabis company in Canada, discovered what is new with research and innovation, learned about the workforce needs of the industry, and explored policy and regulations.

Agenda & Speaker Bios

Presentations and bios can be found in each section

 

Thank you for signing up to attend our Elgin County Conference Series,  Cannabiz in the County.

Your MC is Kate Burns Gallagher, Economic Development Coordinator for the County of Elgin.

 

Breakfast

Cheddar & Chive Biscuits

Yogurt with Coconut-Hemp Granola & Wildflowers Honey

Fruit & Coffee

Sean Webster joined Canopy Growth Corporation as Director, Government & Stakeholder Relations, Federal & Ontario in April 2018.

Prior to joining Canopy, Sean held a number of senior positions in the Canadian pharmaceutical sector, including Vice President - Public Affairs for Shoppers Drug Mart, where he was responsible for directing the company's national public affairs and community investment activities. He also served as UCB Canada's first Director of Market Access and Government Affairs and as Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Solvay Pharma Inc. He began his pharmaceutical career with Eli Lilly Canada Inc. Sean has also held positions with Enbridge, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, U.K. and as a Ministerial Assistant at the House of Commons in Ottawa and as a public affairs consultant.

In a volunteer capacity, Sean is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Convention Centre and is a former Vice Chair of Exhibition Place in Toronto. He also served on the Board of Providence Healthcare in Toronto and has volunteered for a number of patient associations.

Sean graduated with a Master of Business Administration from the Cass School of Business at City University in London, UK, where he subsequently served as a tutor. He is also a graduate of Ryerson University in Toronto, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree

Presentation found here 

Alan Unwin is the Associate Dean at the School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies at Niagara College Canada.

Alan worked as an environmental consultant for numerous years both in the fields of Waste Management and Ecological Restoration before joining Niagara College in 1995 as a full-time faculty member. Through this work, Alan has gained extensive international experience in Argentina, Ecuador, India, Sri Lanka, Jordan and Thailand. In September of 2011, Alan became the Associate Dean for the School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies. Since that time Alan has provided leadership and support in the development of two unique academic programs in Canada including the commercial beekeeping program and most recently the establishment of Canada’s first academic credential program in Commercial Cannabis Production. In December of 2017 at the 13th Conference of the Parties -COP of the United Nations Convention for Biological Diversity (UNCBD) in Cancun Mexico, Alan was an invited panellist and presenter as part of the Rio pavilion’s focus on forest and landscape restoration along with other panellists from around the world.

Presentation found here

Lyndon William Ashton is the Centre Manager for The Canadian Food and Wine Institute (CFWI) Innovation Centre.

In this role, Lyndon is responsible for the overall operations, including outreach to key industry and the successful development and implementation of food and beverage technical services. Lyndon joined the Research & Innovation division after a diversified career, beginning in the culinary arts and eventually leading to economic development, management consulting and business planning. Most recently he worked with MDB Insight, one of Canada’s largest specialist economic development consulting firms, specializing in economic, cultural, and workforce development and corporate strategic planning for the public sector. He earned his Culinary Red Seal, and he holds a combined degree in Political Sciences and Labour Studies from Brock University.

Presentation found here

Lunch prepared by: Kill Deer Catering

 

Elgin County Shepard’s Pie with Celtic Ridge Beef

(veg option – French Lentil Pie)

Fresh Orchard Hill Farm Salad Greens with Fennel & Lemon Vinaigrette

Bread & butter

 Dessert

Elgin County Apple Sourdough Cake

Jane Magri - Wildflowers Farm Presentation found here

Ellen Laing - Kill Deer Catering

Nichola Thompson is the Chief Financial Officer of Weedmd.

Nichola is responsible for leading WeedMD’s financial strategy, capital markets initiatives, business analysis and financial system controls. She has been instrumental in supporting the Company’s rapid growth strategy, transforming it into a leading provider of medical-grade cannabis products in both the medical and adult-use markets. Before taking on her current role, Nichola served as WeedMD’s Director of Finance.

Prior to WeedMD, Nichola held senior management positions at Discovery Air, Deloitte & Touche, Siemens, and Priority One Packaging. Throughout her 15-year career in a variety of roles that included controller, business profitability analyst, and senior accountant, Nichola has successfully aligned finance and business goals to support corporate strategies.

As a Western University Business Administration & Commercial Studies graduate, Nichola obtained her Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Accountant designations in 2007 and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.
In her spare time, Nichola volunteers at the local Dojo as a teacher’s assistant and previously ran Aikido programs at the London Boys & Girls Club.

Based in WeedMD’s London corporate office, she also divides her time between its production facilities in Aylmer and Strathroy, Ontario. Nichola resides in London, Ontario with her husband and three children.

Presentation found here

Samuel Boabane from Cannabis Compliance Inc, is the Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs.

Samuel brings over 14 years of cannabis, controlled substance, food, retail and pharmaceutical experience to CCI. His operations knowledge includes R&D and formulation science, clinical trials, manufacturing, supply chain and quality assurance. He has led teams, established programs and compliance excellence in a variety of settings, including oversight of the CCI Quality and Regulatory Team and previously, a network of licensed dealers at one of Canada’s largest pharmaceutical firms.

Presentation found here