CannTrust to Proceed Immediately with Phase III Construction in Town of Pelham
VAUGHAN, ON, Jan. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ – CannTrust Holdings Inc. (“CannTrust” or the “Company”, TSX: TRST), one of Canada’s leading, most trusted licensed producers of cannabis and the 2018 Canadian Cannabis Awards “Top Licensed Producer of the Year”, is pleased to announce it has obtained the necessary permitting from the Town of Pelham to proceed with its Phase III expansion with the construction process set to commence immediately.
The revised Phase III expansion is permitted for a footprint of up to 390,000 square feet, compared to the 600,000 square feet in the Company’s initial application. However, with enhancements to the Phase III facility above and beyond the specifications initially contemplated, CannTrust maintains its total production capacity forecast of 100,000 kg per year after completion of the Phase III construction.
The enhancements to the Phase III expansion include investing in automation and a higher level of climate control. Given these enhancements and the time it has taken to obtain permitting, construction of the Phase III expansion is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2020. Initial harvest from the Phase III expansion is expected in the second quarter of 2020 and full production capacity is expected in the second half of 2020. In order to address local concerns from the emission of light from its facilities, CannTrust is proceeding to add additional fan ventilation so its shades can be completely closed, at minimal incremental cost.
We are pleased with the outcome of the discussions with the Town of Pelham. We believe this decision reflects our view that we are a trusted member of the community and that we are intent on listening to our stakeholders. The demand for our medical and recreational products continues to be well in excess of supply and we are keen to move ahead with the Phase III expansion and meet our capacity targets.
Peter Aceto, CEO of CannTrust.
We also continue to evaluate several strategic alternatives to meet and increase our initial production capacity goals. We are actively pursuing strategic acquisitions of land and facilities, both inside and outside Ontario and hope to update shareholders with these initiatives in due course. Our active patient count continues to increase, and the recreational market is currently undersupplied. We intend to make every effort to serve these markets with our award-winning products.
The fully-permitted Phase II expansion remains on course to bring the Company’s capacity to 50,000 kg per year. CannTrust expects first harvest from the Phase II expansion in Q1/19. Construction of the final range should be complete by the end of January 2019.
About CannTrust
CannTrust is a federally regulated licensed producer of medical and recreational cannabis in Canada. Founded by pharmacists, CannTrust brings more than 40 years of pharmaceutical and healthcare experience to the medical cannabis industry and serves over 60,000 medical patients with its dried, extract and capsule products. The Company operates its 450,000 sq. ft. Niagara Perpetual Harvest Facility. The industry’s broadest product portfolio is prepared and packaged at the 60,000 sq. ft. manufacturing centre of excellence in Vaughan, Ontario.
CannTrust is developing nanotechnology to develop new products in the medical, recreational, beauty, wellness and pet markets. The Company has established its international footprint through a strategic partnership with Cannatrek Ltd. in Australia and a joint venture with STENOCARE in Denmark. The Company has also partnered with Breakthru Beverage Group through Kindred Canada, for recreational distribution in Canada. CannTrust is committed to research and innovation. Its partnerships with McMaster University in Ontario and Gold Coast University in Australia were designed to contribute to the growing body of evidence-based research regarding the use and efficacy of cannabis.
CannTrust was proudly voted Top Licensed Producer of the Year at the 2018 Canadian Cannabis Awards. For more information, please visit www.canntrust.ca.
