As public officials and private
manufactures strive to find a
fine balance between health,
safety, and revenue, Health
Canada sought public consul-
tation as part of drafting regu-
lations around this new form of
cannabis consumption.
This was the impetus for the
formation of a new industry
group called the Cannabis
Beverage Producers Alliance
(CBPA), which organized in
response toCanada’s proposed
regulations around edibles.
The 10-member group, led by
former Nova Scotia premier
Darrell Dexter, is comprised
of
manufacturers,
indus-
try professionals, and advi-
sors, both within Canada
and beyond, from across the
cannabis, beverage, alcohol
and affiliated industries.
Business Elite Canada spoke
with June Nicholson, co-chair
of CBPA and Executive Vice
President, Partnerships and
Government Affairs for Hill
Street Beverage Co., on the
suggestions made by the alli-
ance to Health Canada that
may impact how and where
consumers can buy cannabis
beverages in the near future.
“We want to work together
with Health Canada to form
common-sense regulations for
the industry,” says June Nich-
olson. “There are a number
of restrictions that are a little
concerning for the industry on
the whole. Some broad stroke
categories would be marketing
and advertising, nomenclature,
and production.”
Shelf Appeal
As it stands now, Health Cana-
da’s vision is for every canna-
bis beverage on the shelf to
be in a uniform package with
only very small differentiators
to indicate the brand and/
or qualities of the beverage.
This stands in great contrast
to what the consumer expe-
riences when purchasing an
alcoholic beverage, where a
large variety of products may
be in standardized containers,
but are easily identifiable so
that the consumer knows confi-
dently and quickly what he or
she is buying. The CBPA would
like to see cannabis beverages
marketed in the same way.
“Health Canada has mandated
various stringent rules around
how cannabis beverages can
look,” says Nicholson. “Under
the draft regulations, cannabis
beverages would be packaged
in a single colour, with the
bright THC stop sign icon, and
only a very small indication of
what the product actually is.
We understand, expect, and
agree with Health Canada’s
position that beverages should
not be appealing to children,
however there are certain
aspects that we feel are over-
reaching.”
Production
Facilities
Of major concern to the CBPA
is Health Canada’s proposal
that producers make their
product in an entirely separate
facility from where conven-
tional food is produced. For an
established beverage producer
(such as Hill Street Beverage
Company), this would mean
building an entire new building
to produce its cannabis bever-
age.
“This approach will have unin-
tended consequences on the
industry writ large,” says Nich-
olson.
The CBPA once again looks
to the established beverage
alcohol industry, in which each
producer holds a wine, spirits,
brewery license, refresh license
JUNE 2019 | BUSINESS ELITE CANADA 5
