Thunderchild First Nation invests $8 million in Westleaf Cannabis

Indoor cannabis facility (Ryland zweifel/Shutterstock)

Cannabis producer and retailer Westleaf Cannabis Inc. and Thunderchild First Nations have entered into a strategic partnership marked by an $8 million investment in Westleaf by an affiliate of Thunderchild.

Thunderchild is Westleaf’s largest shareholder, and their 115,000-sq-ft facility is being built on Thunderchild land located near Battleford, Saskatchewan.

“We are proud to be Westleaf’s largest shareholder, as we strongly believe that this relationship will bring significant benefits to our band,” said Thunderchild Chief Delbert Wapass, who sits on the Westleaf’s Board of Directors.

“We believe that the legalization of recreational cannabis creates significant economic opportunities for our country – and our community is no exception,” said Chief Wapass, in a press release.

“Thunderchild really supported Westleaf’s inception over a year ago,” CEO Scott Hurd told Daily Hive over the phone.

“It has truly been an honour to partner with them and have their continued support. We also want to invest in the communities we serve,” said Hurd.

Westleaf plans on creating 150 high-quality job opportunities that will include a training program focused on the development and advancement of their employees’ careers.

“We believe that we will help the communities flourish and create significant employment opportunities and economic development in the Battleford area,” said Hurd, who noted Westleaf’s plans to partner with other indigenous communities across Canada.

As a vertically integrated company, Westleaf will be responsible for the cultivation, processing, and retail of legal pot.

Prairie Records, Westleaf’s retail brand, will combine cannabis, music, and culture in various locations in western Canada.

Rendering of Prairie Records retail space (Hannah Korsunsky)

“We’re focused on that awesome in-store experience which will be the best marketing tool out there,” Adam Coates, Westleaf’s VP of Marketing told Daily Hive.

“We want to add value to the communities we’re operating in by tieing in cannabis, education, and customer experience.”

Currently, Westleaf has applied to open stores in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and will be applying in BC as well.

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