Robert Stevenson is Anishinaabe of the Bear Clan and owner of Medicine Wheel, a cannabis dispensary operating under the ‘red market’ on Alderville First Nation.ROBERT STEVENSON/HANDOUT

On Alderville First Nation – a reserve south of Roseneath, Ont. – a dozen cannabis stores make up a short stretch of Highway 45, in what’s been dubbed “The Green Mile.”

Since Canada legalized cannabis in 2018, the sector’s annual GDP sits at about $10.8-billion, sustaining tens of thousands of jobs across the country. While cannabis is federally regulated, the oversight of wholesale distribution and retail is in the hands of provinces and territories.

The dispensaries on The Green Mile mostly fall outside that sector. They’re part of a different market – one that is, surprisingly, not operating under provincial dispensary laws. It’s what Indigenous industry experts call “the red market.”

“[Technically] we’re not legal to the Canadian government, and we’re not licensed through the province,” says Robert Stevenson, an Anishinaabe man of the Bear Clan and owner of Medicine Wheel, the first dispensary opened on The Green Mile.

Indigenous people and First Nations across the country are sometimes sidestepping the formal processes for cannabis operations and distributing their own product on the red market instead. Stevenson says it’s a reclamation of land rights laid out in the Canadian Constitution and Article 24 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“The industry has really blossomed over the last six or seven years.”

Health Canada’s expert panel, which was tasked to review the Cannabis Act, has acknowledged red market dispensaries, saying they are “compliant with community-based laws and regulations,” but not federal or provincial laws.

According to the federal government, 47 Indigenous-owned or -affiliated businesses have received a federal licence to cultivate or process cannabis. But only six federally regulated businesses are located within First Nations communities. Meanwhile, more than 475 sovereign Indigenous dispensaries operate across Canada and the United States.

“Health Canada understands that for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis leaders, organizations and individuals, discussions about cannabis legalization and regulation are critically linked to broader issues such as self-determination, reconciliation, and economic and community development,” Tammy Jarbeau, spokesperson for Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, said in a statement.

“Support for the self-determination of Indigenous peoples is a key objective of the Government of Canada. This must be balanced with the need to ensure that the legal and regulatory framework for cannabis, including criminal prohibitions, is applied consistently across the country.”

While the bulk of Indigenous-owned cannabis operations fall under the “red market” umbrella, others are pursuing the legal route. But that comes with its own challenges.

The Songhees First Nation, located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, has a unique collaboration with Surrey, B.C.-based Seed and Stone, and it has two state-of-the-art boutique cannabis stores in Victoria. Seed and Stone was started in 2020 by Vikram Sachdeva, an Indian immigrant who, prior to cannabis entrepreneurship, owned a handful of Subway franchises.

“Cannabis needs to have entrepreneurs,” he says.

Sachdeva began pitching Seed and Stone to Songhees Chief Ron Sam in 2021. With this model, Sachdeva says, the Songhees Nation has a majority stake in each store and it has autonomy over the overall direction. Sachdeva, under a separate company called Water Leaf Management, helps manage and run the stores, taking a minority stake.

The Globe and Mail reached out to Songhees First Nation for comment, but it did not receive a response in time for publication.

Risk is the biggest barrier to owning a cannabis store, especially as cannabis companies are facing significant job losses and facility closings, and establishing a licensed cannabis store is a drawn-out process too, full of public hearings, zoning issues and permits.

“It’s not easy to navigate the process,” Sachdeva says. “It takes anywhere from eight to 12 or 14 months.” Legal cannabis stores require government licences, and they compete with government-owned stores, which often sell products for a lower price than privately-owned retailers.

It gets even more difficult when your main competitor restricts the amount of stores you can have. British Columbia, for example, has limited the amount of cannabis dispensaries one company can operate to eight. In April, the provincial government said it will be looking into lifting the cap, but no changes have been announced.

“I hope the province is making it easier, because right now it isn’t,” Sachdeva says. “If the government can open [up to] 39 stores across B.C., First Nations like the Songhees should be able to open as many as they want, too.”

Seed and Stone intends to replicate its model with other First Nations – and Sachdeva says he is currently in talks with three other First Nations on B.C.’s Lower Mainland. But it remains to be seen whether Indigenous-owned cannabis businesses can scale and thrive in the federally licensed market at the same level as ‘red market’ ones.

Stevenson says Medicine Wheel was one of the first dispensaries in Canada to offer edible cannabis products when it opened in 2017. Meanwhile, it took several years for edibles to hit stores in Canada. Since then, the business has expanded operations significantly, opening its own extraction facility, its own manufacturing facility, and its own on-site laboratory. Stevenson says he’s worked in the community to help others open their own cannabis stores.

He estimates half of the residents in Alderville are benefiting from the cannabis industry. “The [Alderville Band council] sees the potential – how much employment and tourism it brings in – and it’s changing lives on the reserve,” he says.

Health Canada says it is responding to the growth of the red market by employing an expert panel to lead a legislative review of the Cannabis Act and focus on how there are “greater barriers” within the legal industry for Indigenous communities.

The panel recently released a report which included a summary of their engagement with Indigenous governments.

A final report will be tabled by the Minister of Health in both Houses of Parliament in March.

See the full article here

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ALDERVILLE FIRST NATION – In 2017, Medicine Wheel Natural Healing became the first Indigenous cannabis dispensary to open in Alderville, and the store became a beacon for medicinal cannabis and the movement for Indigenous economic sovereignty. With over 60,000 registered members, owner Rob Stevenson built the business with an eye to a seed-to-sale model that could withstand market cycles and maximize value for customers and Indigenous people alike. 

However, Stevenson did not anticipate how tough the COVID-19 pandemic would be for the Indigenous cannabis industry. When the pandemic started, Alderville First Nation was entirely  shut down, and all stores on the territory were completely closed for three months. With the store shuttered, Medicine Wheel had to lay off about 40 employees. All staff members were paid two weeks’ wages, and because the staff were all on payroll, they were eligible for COVID-19 financial support. 

When the community partially reopened several months later, Medicine Wheel moved more of its operations online, and created a click-and-collect program where customers can order online and pay by sending an e-transfer. When customers arrive at the store’s drive through, the orders are ready and brought to them by staff. In June of 2021, the store opened back up, but with smaller numbers of people allowed in at a time. “Now we’re able to open up, interact, have better social interactions and to consult with the people that are coming in to buy our products,” says Stevenson. 

Competition and the other stores in Alderville

The pandemic was not the only thing that changed business patterns in Alderville. When Medicine Wheel first opened its doors, the parking lot was regularly overflowing and the instore line up often stretched all the way to the road. That was when Medicine Wheel was the first and only cannabis dispensary in Alderville. Now there’s over a dozen dispensaries in the community. 

Stevenson has a positive outlook on the larger growth of the Indigenous cannabis industry. “One of the things that I have always done is to support other people in my community getting into the cannabis industry. That has definitely affected my business here in Alderville. It slowed Medicine Wheel’s growth down, but it spread the wealth around in our community, and I am okay with that. I’ve got enough to keep me happy, and I’m glad that other families and businesses are starting to prosper from this industry.”

It’s not just the dispensaries that make up the industry. In Alderville, there are at least four different businesses doing cannabis extractions and processing, many different growers, and increasingly, cooks and bakers. Stevenson estimates that of the 300 or so on-reserve members living in Alderville, about half are directly benefiting from the cannabis industry. These benefits come in many forms, including from owning a cannabis business, being employed by one, providing services like cleaning, security, or snow-clearing to the industry, or by benefiting from the increased traffic that’s been flooding into the community’s arts and crafts shops, convenience stores, and gas stations.

The Indigenous cannabis industry in Alderville is now facing bigger challenges and issues that require working together as a nation. Chief among them is responding to the competition of the more than 1000 cannabis shops licensed by the Province of Ontario. Stevenson considers the placement of some of these stores a deliberate strategy to reduce the economic gains of the “red market.”

“The government’s been very smart,” according to Stevenson. “They could have come after us, and just started raiding every single store, but that would have created push back from Indigenous communities. It would have created a lot of legal challenges and the media coverage would make them look bad. So instead, they’re surrounding the reserves with all of these Provincially licensed dispensaries and they’re trying to take us out through economic attrition. There’s five cannabis stores in Coburg, and in Peterborough there’s a dozen of them.” 

Stevenson continued: “It’s not the people across the road that are my competitors, they’re my neighbours. Our real competitors are the OCS government stores that are popping up around our community. The question becomes how do we draw people from urban areas that are used to having close access to government cannabis and shopping online? How can we bring them out to Indigenous communities and get them to spend their money here with us? That’s the tricky part now.”

Next Steps for growing the Indigenous Cannabis Market

The competition with government stores is not just being fought out in terms of pricing, quality, and the nature of the products and services being offered. Stevenson thinks that the real leverage that Indigenous people have in the cannabis industry lies in what he terms “jurisdictional arbitrage” – the ability of “Indigenous people to use our rights to benefit our community through control of our own laws, medicines, economy and lands.” With the right regulatory framework, the safety and quality of Indigenous products can be assured, and the wealth from the industry will stay within the Indigenous communities where it was created. 

Stevenson predicts that the next steps in the Indigenous industry will be an increase in Indigenous nation-to-nation trading and the growth of Indigenous cannabis brands. As the industry matures, Stevenson says that he would like to see Indigenous dispensaries selling only Indigenous products. “That way, the economic benefits will stay within our communities and we can prosper from this industry over the long term.” Already there has been a noticeable increase in the quality and number of products from Indigenous sources. 

However, Stevenson wants these products to be safe and tested, because “to compete with Canada, we have to rise to their level in our own way. We have a great advantage on the medicinal side because none of the Provincial recreational dispensaries are allowed to discuss the medicinal benefits of cannabis. Whereas for us, cannabis is a medicine. It might not be “traditional” but it’s a gift from creation, and it’s a powerful plant-based medicine that we have every right to use as we see fit.”

Because Indigenous producers don’t operate through Canada’s LP system, Medicine Wheel is able to create a whole array of medicinal products that you can’t get at OCS stores. Stevenson explains: “At the OCS, 10 milligrams of THC is the maximum dose that any serving of an edible can have. On First Nations territories we can go higher than that and I think it’s healthier to have higher doses for people that need to be medicated. I know I need a heck of a lot more than 10 mg of THC in an edible. So am I going to have to eat 10 OCS chocolate bars and get diabetes from all the sugar? Personally, I would rather have a higher dose edible and eat less of it to get the same effects.”

New Indigenous Brands lead the way

Medicine Wheel is focussed on replacing its non-Indigenous cannabis products with Indigenous ones that are centred on the medicinal aspects of cannabis. One way in which the store does this is through the Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) it manufactures. RSO is a strongly medicinal product which is mostly used to treat cancers or other serious medical problems. Medicine Wheel used to have a compassion program in place for people who couldn’t afford the $40 a gram price and this brought the price down to $25 a gram. Now, in order to make the product affordable to all, the RSO is $25 across the board and is manufactured locally on the territory. 

As Stevenson points out, the benefits of Medicine Wheel’s RSO go beyond its price. “Our RSO is food grade quality. There’s a minimum of three different varieties of flower mixed into the oil so it creates a robust full plant spectrum effect that provides the best entourage effects. A recent batch tested with levels of 71% THC. And it’s not green, it’s made from bud. It’s a fantastic product.”

Another line of products launched by the company is the ICR or Indigenous Cannabis Revolution. This brand carries high quality vape cartridges, hash, shatter and some other special concentrates like Delta-8 and CBD products. The ICR line of extracts join those of other Indigenous brands in the store. Igloo Brand, Alderville’s own Sid Viscous diamond sauce and diamond resin extracts, as well as the High Roller brand are all carried by Medicine Wheel and are available for online purchasing. Medicine Wheel is also selling 10 different kinds of Indigenous made hash, and 25 different vape cartridge flavours through the ICR line. 

Medicine Wheel hasn’t forgotten about flower either, with a selection of 25-45 high-quality flowers kep on hand at all times. Like other Indigenous dispensaries, the Wheel also offers $100 ounces, but with a twist: even the $100 ounces are safe, lab tested, and have their potency levels marked on the packaging. All flower strains are tested for potency, mold, and pesticides to ensure consumer safety. Prices range from the $6g range all the way to some $18g strains.

The flower is sold in childproof bags which keeps the project fresh and create less waste. Although other dispensaries will weigh out the product in front of customers, there’s a sanitary issue at play because every time you open that container to fill it for someone, you’re drying the product out and risking contamination. At Medicine Wheel, the flower is dried to the desired moisture level and packaged for sale.

Medicine Wheel has also continued the production of its award winning Mukwa line. This product line features a variety of different medicinal tinctures and topicals. The Mukwa brand was created in partnership with some Mohawks in Tyendinaga back in 2017, and according to Stevenson, “since day one it’s been one of our strongest selling brands.” The product is not super-high in THC, but it is created from a full spectrum cannabis extract rather than using isolates and distillates, which provides a powerful “entourage effect” from the wide variety of cannabinoids present in the tincture. 

Medicine Wheel also has its own line of THC and CBD gummies and also stocks those of Creator’s Choice in Wahnapitae. Next on the agenda is moving a baker and a chef into a specially made industrial kitchen to provide fresh THC edibles to be sold at the store.

After Covid 

Now that the Covid-19 Pandemic appears to be subsiding, Stevenson’s focus is returning to the Medicine Wheel store front as a place to not only educate consumers about the medicinal values of cannabis and the benefits of different Indigenous made products, but to promote Indigenous culture and traditions. 

The Medicine Wheel POS system that tracks every sale, all of our inventory and every single customer. With recent efforts to relaunch the Medicine Wheel website, the POS is now integrated with the online store, and enables a fast and easy online purchasing system. Purchases can still be picked up at the store, but they can also be shipped across Canada. 

According to Stevenson, the information held on the POS system “helps us to decide what products we want to carry, what products are working to treat what ailments, and it gives us a communication path to our members.” Medicine Wheel now has over 60,000 members now, and each new customer is registered and given a membership card. When customers come in their membership card is scanned and the purchase is made. As a way to bring even more benefits to members, Medicine Wheel has created a buy-in loyalty program. The program gives its members points for every purchase made, and these points allow you to get new items for free.

Community contributions

Medicine Wheel is always looking for new ways to give back to the community. One way the store has been doing that lately is through their Rainbow Railroad themed chocolate bars. $2 from every sale of the chocolate bar goes to help the company Rainbow Railroad fight for the rights of persecuted LGBTQ+ people. Medicine Wheel supports many other projects too. They’ve done a lot for the women’s shelter in Alderville and donated to the band office, food bank and sponsorships for various community activities. 
Stevenson explains why he thinks Indigenous dispensaries on the territory should be doing something for their people. 

“That way you can keep that balance. If you get obsessed with chasing money you lose sight of why we’re doing this. Some people might be doing it just for the money, and that’s fine, that’s their path. I want to be financially comfortable, but I’m doing this because I’m having fun. I see the benefits of helping people, and it just keeps me busy. There’s so many different projects to do, and so many different ways to go with cannabis. It’s a continual learning process.”

The contributions made by Medicine Wheel are not just financial either. As a way of benefiting the community, every staff member is trained in how to use the store’s AED defibrillator,  Naloxone kit and Epi pens. That way, if someone has a crisis on site there’s always someone ready to help. The same emergency supplies are available in the store’s security building out front to serve community members in crisis 24 hours a day. If anyone in the community has an emergency or OD’s at any time, these emergency kits can be accessed at any time. 

The post Medicine Wheel in the Age of Covid: an Interview with Rob Stevenson appeared first on Medicine Wheel Natural Healing.

ALDERVILLE FIRST NATION – On March 4th, 2021, Chief Del Riley, the former President of the National Indian Brotherhood, and a co-author and negotiator of Sections 25 and 35 of the Canadian Constitution, visited Alderville First Nation. Chief Riley was there to tour Medicine Wheel Natural Healing – the first dispensary to open in Alderville – and to see first hand the state of the art cannabis testing and extraction facilities of Red Feather Laboratories.

Chief Riley, a 71 year old Hereditary Chief of the Chippewa Crane Clan, has spent his entire life fighting for the rights of Indigenous people. In recent years, Chief Riley has become involved in supporting the Indigenous right to cannabis, and has worked with the North Shore Anishinabek Cannabis Association to support store owners asserting their Aboriginal right to use and provide medicinal cannabis on their lands. Since 2015, over 250 cannabis dispensaries have opened up on a sovereign basis on Indigenous territories across Canada. They have created a huge economic boom for on-reserve populations and a real economic challenge to Canada’s system of Licensed Producers.

The growth and evolution of cannabis in Alderville

Chief Riley was met in Alderville by Robert Stevenson, the owner and founder of Medicine Wheel and Red Feather Laboratories. Stevenson showed off Medicine Wheel’s storefront, and spoke about the way he has respected his community in the operation of his business. As he explained to Chief Riley, “I wanted to do this in a way that was good, respectful, professional, and that portrayed our culture well.” 

Stevenson added, “I’ve been trying to use our store as a way to educate people about our culture and get people into the community. It was tough at first because of the stigma of cannabis – Alderville started becoming known as the “Green Mile,” and some people were uncomfortable with that. But I think there’s an opportunity…. Yes, Alderville might be a cannabis community, but look at what it’s doing for the people, look at the changes.”

Stevenson has certainly succeeded in his efforts. Medicine Wheel now has a base of over 60,000 registered clients, and Alderville is home to a thriving cannabis industry with nearly 20 different dispensaries lining its main road. Cannabis is the community’s largest economic driver, and the local economy and Alderville’s relationship to its neighbours has been reshaped as well. As a trail-maker in this industry, Stevenson has spoken at Indigenous gatherings on cannabis across Canada, and Medicine Wheel has become a living example of how medicinal cannabis facilities can be done right.

After a brief stint at the Medicine Wheel, Stevenson and Chief Riley toured Red Feather Laboratories to see how cannabis can be safely extracted and tested for safety and potency. Stevenson has used the profits of his storefront dispensary to build a state of the art extraction facility and laboratory that not only meets, but exceeds the standards expected by Canada of its Licensed Producers. In building the world’s largest and most advanced Anishinaabe-owned cannabis facility, Stevenson states, “my goal is to show that we as Indigenous people can safely and securely operate all aspects of the cannabis industry without government interference or control.”

Cannabis as a constitutionally protected Aboriginal right

After touring the laboratory facilities, Chief Riley and Stevenson sat down for a wide ranging conversation about the Indigenous right to cannabis, and the political obstacles facing Indigenous entrepreneurs. 

Stevenson started the discussion off by asking Chief Riley if he viewed cannabis as a constitutionally protected “Aborginal Right.” Chief Riley replied, “It sure is. And even if it wasn’t, the authority to regulate it lies with your traditional people.”

Indigenous people never gave up their inherent rights to make medicine from or otherwise benefit from the cannabis plant on their own lands, and the nation-to-nation treaties made with the Crown – long before the existence of Canada – reflect this. As Chief Riley explains, “our position on our rights is that they were totally intact as of 1814.” In Chief Riley’s view, Canadian Confederation and laws and policies such as the Indian Act remain racist and colonial attempts to control and oppress indigenous people, but they haven’t taken away Indigenous rights.

Chief Riley proposes using Sections 25 and 35 of the Constitution as a shield to stop any instrument of the Crown – Federal, Provincial, Municipal, or Band Council – from violating the treaties which were the foundation for the creation of Canada. “Indians” have Treaty and Aboriginal Rights, but Band Councils don’t – because they are administrative bodies of the Federal Government responsible for providing programs and services to Indians. Riley argues that cannabis dispensary owners can use their Constitutionally protected rights to protect themselves from over-reaching Band Councils. But for long term success, Indigenous people need to get out from under the racist Indian Act, and put cannabis regulations and the Indigenous economy more generally, “under the authority of your traditional people. That will stop any land surrenders too.”

Looking to the future

Although the cannabis industry has made major strides in increasing the self-sufficiency of Indigenous economies, that doesn’t mean that it’s all clear sailing from here on in. As Stevenson puts it, “I’m seeing what they’re doing, it’s very smart. They’re kind of leaving First Nations alone, but their plan is to take us out through attrition, through the OCS government stores. I’m already noticing at my store the increased pressure because [OCS stores] are dropping their prices. Most First Nations are not near an urban centre. We need a way to be able to draw people out to our communities.” 

Given these factors, Stevenson sees the government model as a dead end. “Why are people going to come out to our reserve, when they can go to an urban centre that’s closer, and pay the exact same price for the exact same product. We lose our advantage that way…. And they don’t believe in it as a medicine, you can’t even mention it as a medicine.”

This means that Stevenson thinks wider co-operation and co-ordination between the Indigenous cannabis industry is what’s required. As he puts it, “The competition isn’t my neighbours in my own community that are running the dispensaries. No, our competition is the government stores that are opening up. Their platform, the way they’ve designed it, is to actually take out the black market. And they’re viewing Indigenous dispensaries as black market. We’re the red market, we’re not black market. I don’t support the black market products, I don’t support criminal organizations. I do support our own Indigenous people in creating an economy based off a plant that grows naturally.” 

To get there, Stevenson argues, Indigenous people can start simply – by growing cannabis themselves in their basements and garages. “I need Indigenous flower. Set up a little grow in your basement, pass the testing requirements, and I and other dispensaries will buy it.” 

Indigenous freedom requires an economic base to support the people. And for that, Stevenson believes, “cannabis and hemp are going to be the tools that are going to drive a lot of change.” Chief Riley concurred: “I believe exactly the same – that’s what First Nations have to do.”

Chief Riley left the Red Feather Facilities with a special gift pack of medicinal cannabis products including Medicine Wheel’s famous “Mukwa” line of tinctures, some pre-rolls, and some Rick Simpson Oil. Chief Riley, who has had a life-long appreciation for cannabis, and who has successfully used it to fight cancer, was very thankful and promised he would keep in touch. 

For more information visit the Medicine Wheel and Red Feather Laboratories websites, and keep your eyes out for Del Riley’s forthcoming autobiography: The Last President. 

The post Cannabis is an Aboriginal Right: “Speak From the Heart – and Don’t Give Up!” appeared first on Medicine Wheel Natural Healing.

Some Indigenous leaders see the upcoming three-year review of federal pot laws as a chance for a new deal

Three years ago, before the federal government legalized cannabis, you could buy it on many First Nations in Ontario.

In some cases, these pot shops were totally legal, opened with the permission of their chief and council.

In many other communities, these dispensaries operated in a legal grey area.

That has now gone on for years and there is a growing push to set laws surrounding the sale of cannabis on reserves, especially as dozens of provincially-regulated stores are opening and eating into the market.

Rob Stevenson remembers being “very nervous” when he opened Medicine Wheel Natural Healing in Alderville First Nation near Peterborough in 2017 in the “very unclear landscape” before cannabis was legalized by Canada.

But he says he checked with the First Nation and local police and got “tacit blessing” to start selling cannabis.

Now there are many cannabis dispensaries in the small community of 300 along what’s become known as “the Green Mile.”

Stevenson says Alderville is working on a cannabis law, which he thinks is a better model than signing up for the provincial regulatory regime, which comes with “tight margins” and high licensing costs. 

“Now for a First Nation to follow that government model, they’re at a huge disadvantage,” he says.

“Why are people going to take that time to drive out to a reserve for the exact same price for the exact same protect?”

Stevenson says instead of being dismissed as “black market,” it’s time for Indigenous retailers to carve out a “red market” in the cannabis industry that’s unique from what’s offered at provincially-regulated pot shops. 

“I believe the cannabis industry can make us independent,” says Mike Davis, the owner of the Green Cross dispensary in Six Nations of the Grand River. 

His and the other shops in his community also opened without permission of the First Nation, which has since created its own cannabis commission for regulating the industry.

Meanwhile, Davis and the other dispensaries have formed the Six Nations People’s Cannabis Coalition, which is setting it’s own standards for quality testing and asking for ID. 

“It’s kind of how the cigarette industry is down here. All these smoke shops down here are technically illegal because there’s no taxes being paid on those,” says Davis. 

“That’s how people make their livelihood, that’s how they put bread on the table on my reserve.”

Wahnapitae First Nation north of Sudbury is set to hold a referendum on cannabis sales Feb. 27, the second time it’s been put to a vote because there wasn’t enough turnout the first time to make it binding.

The First Nation is asking its citizens for permission to pass a cannabis law, allowing chief and council to decide who gets a license, what sort of fees they pay to the First Nation, what kind of product standards need to followed and where the shops are allowed to be located.

There have been two cannabis dispensaries operating in the community of 100 for the past three years. Both opened without government approvals and have been raided by police several times, but allowed to re-open each time.

Derek Roque started Creator’s Choice in Wahnapitae and is facing three Cannabis Act charges that are slowly making their way through court. 

He says he has since been pushed out of the business by his former partners, but is now working as a consultant for First Nations cannabis dispensaries being planned across the province.

Roque says he won’t be voting in the referendum he calls a “complete joke” and believes having a cannabis law goes against his people’s traditions.

“It has been sold in a good way. And that is the way of the Anishinaabe people,” he says. 

Isadore Day is a former Ontario regional chief who now runs a consulting firm called Bimaadzwin, that has helped many First Nations communities with their cannabis policy.

He believes the best path for First Nations is to sign on to the provincial regulatory system, especially when it comes to product standards to assure the consumer that what they buy on a reserve is safe.

But then Day believes it’s also important for chiefs and councils to pass their own laws governing cannabis in their own territories.

“Right now, it’s one thing for us to push forward our laws and we don’t need other governments to recognize us, but if we want to access the mainstream economy, we’re going to have to find a way to harmonize our efforts,” he says. 

“The next year or so will be about getting those proposed amendments in place that recognize our laws, not dictate to us.”

Day says the federal cannabis laws will come up for a three-year review this fall, giving First Nations an opportunity to make a new deal with the Canadian government. 

The post 3 Years Ago You Could Only Buy Legal Weed on First Nations, Now Some Say the Industry Needs a ‘Red Market’ appeared first on Medicine Wheel Natural Healing.

Published by KawarthaNow.co June 12 2020

Owner and Alderville First Nation member Rob Stevenson will match funds raised from raffle of painting

Alderville First Nation’s Medicine Wheel Natural Healing is raising funds in June for the Alderville Women’s Shelter.

The cannabis retailer, located at 8986 County Road 45 in Roseneath, is celebrating its third anniversary on Saturday, June 20th — the day before National Indigenous Peoples Day.

In honour of missing and murdered indigenous women, Medicine Wheel is raffling off a canvas painting. All funds raised from the raffle will be matched by Medicine Wheel owner and Alderville First Nation member Rob Stevenson and donated to the Alderville Women’s Shelter.

The painting, called “We Are… We Can… We Will…”, is by Stevenson’s mother-in-law, artist Miriam Terry.

“The Tree of Life represents strength, growth, power, resilience,” Terry explains. “It gives life through oxygen, it shelters, it roots, it stabilizes and it grows and perseveres in spite of assaults against it. A common symbol across all cultures, it exemplifies the struggle of women around the world. In spite of damaging forces, the Tree of Life persists in much the same way as women do.”

“We Are… We Can… We Will… what? Those key phrases can be completed in whatever way a woman chooses. My thoughts turned to ‘We Are Women, We Can Act, We Will Persevere’. The title is one that should compel each individual woman to complete it in the way that best represents her thoughts, her life, her personal meaning. ‘We Are All Unique, We Can Act, We will Rise.’”

Raffle tickets are one for $20, two for $40, four for $60, six for $80, or eight for $100. To purchase tickets, visit medicinewheel.ca/product/medicine-wheels-national-indigenous-peoples-day-raffle/.

To celebrate its third anniversary, Medicine Wheel is offering 25 per cent off of everything in the store on Saturday, June 20th (payment by debit, credit, and cash accepted at the store). The draw for the painting will take place on Monday, June 23rd.

Alderville Women’s Shelter (Anishnaabe Kwewag Gamig Inc) is a regional shelter serving southeastern Ontario including seven First Nations: Beausoleil, Georgina Island, Pikwakanagan, Rama, Alderville, Scugog and Moose Deer Point. The organization offers temporary emergency shelter and other services for both indigenous and non-indigenous women and their children who have experienced family violence.

The post Medicine Wheel Raising Funds for Alderville Women’s Shelter in Honour of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women appeared first on Medicine Wheel Natural Healing.

The Social Innovation + Change Initiative is delighted to welcome Rob Stevenson, member of the Bear Clan from the Alderville First Nation and Founder of Medicine Wheel Natural Healing, and Patrick Tomlinson, 2015 Cheng Fellow and MC/MPA 2016, for an interactive conversation on building Indigenous sovereignty through for-profit social entrepreneurship.

The event will encompass three parts: A general overview of the treaty relationship between the Alderville First Nation and the British Crown; a presentation on the Medicine Wheel business model and the various businesses structured according to the model; and an interactive conversation between Rob, Patrick, and attendees on how Medicine Wheel can innovate further based on its current organizational design and goals.

This will be an interactive discussion and rely on participation from attendees.

Participants interested in becoming more familiar with Medicine Wheel Natural Healing, Indigenous sovereignty, and reconciliation in Canada are encouraged to visit the following websites:

• On Reconciliation in Canada (pp 10-50)
• On Medicine Wheel
• General information on historic and modern treaties between Indigenous peoples and the Crown in the Right of Canada

All are welcome to attend. This event will especially appeal to students who are deeply committed and interested in Indigenous Peoples’ rights, social innovation, and proximate leadership. 

Rob Stevenson Rob Stevenson is a member of the Bear Clan from the Alderville First Nation in Ontario, Canada. Born into a family of successful entrepreneurs and political leaders, Rob started building businesses at a very young age. For the past two years, he has been dedicated to building a for-profit social enterprise whose primary goals are to improve Indigenous sovereignty and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. This company, Medicine Wheel Natural Healing, is a vertically integrated cannabis and hemp company which today boasts 45,000 paying members and a fully self-developed seed-to-sale supply chain. The Canadian Minister responsible for writing Canada’s cannabis laws and regulations regularly meets with Rob to assure that Indigenous communities across Canada can benefit from the burgeoning cannabis and hemp industries. And Rob is now working with his First Nation’s (and several other) Indigenous Band Council(s) to develop regulatory structures suited for Indigenous governments. Rob is a proud husband and father of two young boys who are almost as fluent as him in their Indigenous language, Ojibwa.

Patrick Tomlinson
Patrick graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2016 (MC/MPA) and has since returned to Cambridge to pursue an MBA at MIT Sloan. For over 10 years, Patrick has worked with Indigenous communities across Canada supporting efforts at Indigenous sovereignty and reconciliation.  As a lead negotiator on behalf of the Gwich’in First Nation, Patrick successfully negotiated a multi-party resource royalty sharing agreement among 7 First Nations and two levels of public government that still today represents the only agreement of its kind in Canada.

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The Medicine Wheel Natural Healing manager Krista Mattson, Owner Rob Stevenson and Northumberland First Response Medical Training owner Ken Jansen with medical equipment including AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) along with Nalaxone kit for anyone suffering from an overdose along with a epi-pen for people having an allergic reaction.

The staff at The Medicine Wheel Natural Healing on County Road 45 in Alderville spent the day training on cardio-pulminary resuscitation along with the AED and other medical items in case they are needed.

Over 30 staff members were trained by Northumberland First Response Medical Training owner Ken Jansen on Monday, October 7, 2019. The business bought two of each of the items. One set will be placed in the store in case of emergency, while the other set will be placed at the security office by then entrance on County Road 45.

Stevenson said it’s important for the community to know there is a set available 24-hours a day for anyone in the community who needs the AED, Naloxone or epi-pen.

Jansen said in an emergency the first thing to do is to call 9-1-1 but if there is someone available to attend the business or guard house depending on the time of day it could help make the difference.

As a trained firefighter and paramedic of 22-years, Jansen said, “unfortunately we get a great deal of cadiac and overdose calls and I think this is an absolutely fantastic idea when we see business owners going above and beyond to help protect their communities.”

“The AED’s, Naloxone kits, epi-pen’s and the CPR training will certainly be a valued addition to the area.”

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Indigenous cannabis retailers are turning their backs on the Ontario government’s plan to license up to eight stores on First Nations reserves, suggesting provincial regulation would hurt thriving businesses, cause infighting in their communities, and infringe on their sovereignty.

Last Wednesday, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced a lottery for on-reserve cannabis store authorizations on a first-come, first-serve basis. The first eight operators who submit intent to apply documents will be invited to apply for a Retail Operator Licence and Retail Store Authorization.

The announcement also included an additional 42 new store authorizations across the province. The new stores are expected to start opening in October.

Ontario’s plan is ‘divisive’ for First Nations

The separate process for reserve communities is part of the government’s engagement with First Nations interested in developing their own approach to cannabis. A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General told Yahoo Canada Finance that officials have held more than 70 discussions with First Nations organizations on the subject.

Ontario has lagged behind other provinces in its roll out of brick-and-mortar retail stores. Citing supply concerns, the government initially capped the number of stores allowed to open at 25. Few were ready to serve customers on April 1, the first day of legal private retail sales. In Toronto, a massive line formed at the lone cannabis store that opened for business on day one.

Meanwhile, First Nations entrepreneurs have built a thriving grey-market with many on-reserve dispensaries relying on their own supply channels instead of the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), which has faced shortages and complaints about product quality.https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20180130/Cannabis_poll.html

Former Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day is hoping for productive collaboration between First Nations, the province and the federal government on cannabis sales. He’s not convinced Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is off to a good start with its eight-store offering.

“This is divisive. In no way shape or form does it promote our First Nations working together. It’s saying, ‘Here are eight licenses. There are 133 First Nations in Ontario. You fight over it,’” Day told Yahoo Finance Canada. “It’s a degrading and deplorable tactic that we have seen time and time again. The provincial government will realize very quickly that we’re not going to take the bait.”

Day expects most First Nations will opt to maintain control of cannabis in their communities, though he admits some could be swayed to operate under the province’s framework. 

Ontario’s intentions unclear, sparks skepticism

On Alderville First Nation, southwest of Peterborough, Ont., a stretch of highway has been dubbed “the Green Mile.” Seven dispensaries are up and running today. Three or four more are preparing to open, according to Rob Stevenson, owner of Medicine Wheel.

His Indigenous-owned and operated cannabis store was the first to set up shop in Alderville back in June 2017. Business has been brisk. He estimates he’s served nearly 40,000 registered clients. Not bad considering Alderville has an on-reserve population of 495, according to 2016 census data.

“My first instinct is probably no,” Stevenson told Yahoo Finance Canada when asked if he will enter the lottery for on-reserve stores.

He’s skeptical of the Ontario government’s intent, and the timing of this announcement. He points to the passage of a resolution asserting jurisdiction over all cannabis operations in First Nations territories last month at the 45th Annual All Ontario Chiefs Conference. The Chiefs of Ontario represent the 133 First Nations in the province.

Derek Roque, owner of Creator’s Choice Natural Health Solutions on Wahnapitae First Nation near Sudbury, Ont., is also suspicious of Ontario government regulation on reserves. His store has been raided twice by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), or robbed as he prefers to put it.

“I feel like the province shot me in the back, and now they are asking me if I am okay, and seeing if I want to do business with them,” he told Yahoo Finance Canada.

Roque also has no intention of entering the AGCO’s lottery. He also believes two OCS-supplied cannabis stores in nearby Sudbury were strategically authorized by the province in order to siphon customers from his business.

“Two stores in Sudbury alone? They could have moved anywhere in the north,” Roque said. “It was definitely something to do with trying to cause a business disruption to First Nation dispensaries.”

The AGCO declined to address Roque’s allegation. The agency also declined to answer questions regarding taxation, supply from non-OCS sources, nation-to-nation cannabis trade, and the prospect of future enforcement action against non-licensed retailers on reserves.

Yahoo Finance Canada reached out to six additional cannabis retailers operating on First Nations territory. Four said they do not plan to participate in the AGCO’s lottery. One said they will. Another was not yet sure. The AGCO will begin accepting applications on July 31 at 9:00 a.m.

Ontario’s allocation of up to eight stores to First Nations communities is a major first among the provinces, said Nick Pateras, vice president of strategy at cannabis data firm Lift & Co. (LIFT.V).

“I think that’s absolutely fantastic,” he told Yahoo Finance Canada. “Is it going to be very easy or painless? Probably not. I think we need to take a step back and think about how we integrate and welcome First Nations communities into the entire (cannabis) ecosystem.”

Lift & Co. is the exclusive provider of mandatory training for cannabis store workers in Ontario.

‘I’d probably lose the majority of my customers’

Stevenson said most of the products he carries at Medicine Wheel are Indigenous-sourced. It’s a distinction that sets his business apart from OCS-supplied stores while supporting Indigenous cultivators. Switching to the cannabis available in provincially-regulated stores would be bad for business and his community, he explains.

“I’d probably lose the majority of my customers. We’ve seen a lot of the licensed producer products come through our laboratory here. To be honest, I feel they are sub-par. I don’t consider it medicine,” Stevenson said.

“We’re moving towards having a fully Indigenous stocked store. I believe these products are of very high quality. With the Indigenous cannabis industry thriving, there is a lot of entrepreneurs that have developed nation-to-nation trading networks.”

In addition to his retail operation, Roque said he is selling cannabis wholesale to the growing number of First Nations dispensaries that are opening for business.

“We’ve been quite busy filling orders and making sure we can that we can keep production levels up,” he said.

1“We’ve taken the first steps forward proving that we can be successful at this. I would hate to see people reach out to the government when they could have reached out to a successful First Nations business first.”

Stevenson estimates there are currently more than 70 Indigenous dispensaries in the province, not including cultivators and other cannabis entrepreneurs.

Roque and Stevenson both take exception to the amount of packaging involved with the sale of provincially-regulated cannabis. They also have questions about the application of excise taxes, and rules that might prevent them from giving back to their communities through things like youth hockey sponsorship and supporting traditional groups.

Another concern is the coexistence of provincially-regulated and non-regulated stores causing conflict between retailers over who is selling a legitimate, safe product, and who is supporting First Nations communities.

“If you give out one license in Alderville, it is going to create divide among the people,” Stevenson said. “It is going to create infighting.”

For Day, the cannabis issue boils down to money and sovereignty.

“This is really about money for the province,” he said. “This will definitely have an impact on sovereignty in our community. If there are communities that want these eight licenses, that’s their prerogative . . . But I’m sure for the most part First Nations are going to want to assert jurisdiction. They’ll say, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’”

Note: Since speaking to Yahoo Finance Canada for this article, Pateras announced that he is leaving Lift & Co. to join Materia Ventures.

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On Wednesday, the Ontario government announced that it will issue up to eight licences for those wishing to operate a cannabis store on First Nations reserves — but Indigenous leaders and those involved with cannabis say this decision poses jurisdictional issues.

The announcement from the Ontario government comes almost a month after the Chiefs of Ontario voted to assert jurisdiction over all cannabis operations in First Nations territories.

“Limiting those number of stores is contrary to what we call community sovereignty — that is those communities making their own decisions whether they’re going to operate a retail cannabis operation,” Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald told Global News on Thursday.

“It’s an attempt by the government of Ontario to assert its jurisdiction where it doesn’t belong.”

According to Archibald, the Ontario government did not consult with First Nations regarding the eight cannabis store licences.

“They did not talk to us at all. There’s been no consultation on the number of stores, nothing,” she said. “This kind of unilateral action is not acceptable, especially given that the chiefs passed a resolution specifically on their own sovereignty and jurisdiction over cannabis sales and production in their communities.”

Currently, there are already a number of cannabis stores set up throughout different First Nation communities, and according to Archibald, some First Nations already have their own cannabis laws.

One store is Medicine Wheel Natural Healing in Alderville, Ont., which has been in operation for two years. The shop has over 40 employees and almost 40,000 registered clients.

“I don’t think it’s going to work on a lot of communities that are already established in the industry,” said Rob Stevenson, owner of Medicine Wheel Natural Healing and spokesperson for the Mississauga of Rice Lake Cannabis Association.

Right now, Stevenson’s store is able to contribute to causes that help the community, something he said the marketing rules put in place for licenced cannabis stores by the Ontario government wouldn’t allow.

“With their marketing rules…First Nations wouldn’t be able to contribute to their community, wouldn’t be able to sponsor teams, sports events and different things like that,” Stevenson said. “The way we’ve been doing it here in Alderville is that we’re able to do that.”

READ MORE: Ontario First Nations fight for cannabis rights

While some First Nations may be excited about the eight cannabis store licences, there will also be bigger push for First Nations to become significant players in the cannabis industry, said Isadore Day, CEO of Bimaadzwin, a consulting firm concerned with advancing Indigenous nationhood, and the former Ontario Regional Chief.

“I think what Ontario needs to recognize is that the eight licences won’t be the only game in town,” said Isadore Day. “There is still going to be a First Nations-specific process and First Nations jurisdiction, and I think First Nations have the right to sit down at the table with Canada and Ontario to figure this thing out.”

In a phone call with Global News on Thursday, Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey said the provincial government allocated 10 per cent of the 75 cannabis store licences to First Nations because it knows there’s interest in them.

“There was a report by the federal senate…which recommended allocating a percentage for First Nations,” Downey said. “We went with the 10 per cent. We know that there is more demand. We’re constrained by the supply.”

READ MORE: Indigenous cannabis entrepreneurs face licensing issues, tax challenges

Day, however, said First Nations that obtain licences will be allowing provincial jurisdiction into their communities. “Where a community opens its doors fully to every regulation that will be attached to this licence, they basically are allowing provincial jurisdiction into their community,” he said.

“I think in that sense, if we go too far down the slippery slope, we’ve then compromised First Nation jurisdiction and sovereignty.”

According to Downey, the eight licenced cannabis retailers on First Nations territory will be required to get their supply from the Ontario Cannabis Store.

Stevenson, however, questions whether the government would be willing to work with First Nations regarding the supply.

“Right now, we’ve been working hard to develop nation to nation networks of Indigenous growers, product manufacturers and what not,” Stevenson said. “What this is doing is it’s strengthening our bonds with other First Nations, and it’s creating an economic drive that is having a very, very positive impact on communities.”

Another question, Stevenson added, is the issue of taxes.

While Downey was unable to answer questions regarding taxes, two spokespeople from the Ontario government provided responses over email.

“The applicability of HST to cannabis sales on-reserve is the same as it is for sales of other taxable supplies on-reserve,” wrote Alexandra Adamo, the Ontario Attorney General’s spokesperson. “A licenced store on reserve is required to collect HST on its taxable sales, unless the seller is not registered to collect HST because it is a ‘small supplier’ as defined under the Excise Tax Act.”

“For sales on-reserve, HST is not paid by purchasers who are eligible for the exemption from tax under the federal Indian Act,” Emily Hogeveen, the Ontario Ministry of Finance’s press secretary, said in an email. “The government continues to engage with First Nations interested in developing their own approaches to cannabis.”

For Day, there’s a constitutional issue with the lack of consultation there’s been with First Nations.

“We’re not consulted, so that’s one side of the constitutional right around the protection of rights — consultation and accommodation,” Day said. “There’s also the issue of the actual rights themselves being compromised by another jurisdiction.”

According to Downey, the Ontario government is setting up conference calls with First Nations that are interested in applying for a cannabis store licence, so that they can properly understand the application requirements.

“We’re setting up conference calls for them…so that they can understand the details of what they need to do before the application period opens up at the end of July,” he said.

READ MORE: Man ticketed for buying cannabis from unlicensed Tyendinaga pot shop: OPP

When asked what will happen to the existing cannabis stores on First Nations reserves, Downey said: “That’s a different discussion from a different department in terms of how we’ll manage that, but we want to have stores who are in compliance with the Ontario rules at every opportunity.”

“I think in the era of reconciliation, clearly Ontario needs to get on board,” Day said.

“We have the ability to help resolve some of these issues that Ontario has with regards to supply, safety, compliances, and it’s going to take Ontario a little bit more effort than what it has exerted thus far to fix this problem.”

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OTTAWA – Over 300 delegates attended the second National Indigenous Cannabis and Hemp Conference (NICHC) held on the unceded territory of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan on February 19-20, 2019.

The conference was notable for involving high-powered Canadian cabinet ministers responsible for Canada’s legalization of cannabis efforts such as Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, and Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health. Top level bureaucrats such as Todd Cain, the Director General of Licensing and Medical Access for the Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Branch at Health Canada and Mohan Denetto, the Director General of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada were also present.

The conference was organized by Isadore Day and his group Bimaadzwin Consulting, and Howard Silver, the owner of the Metropolitan Conference Centre in downtown Calgary and the operator of Silver Shows, a trade show company. The conference was a follow up to the first NICHC gathering that was held on the territory of the Tsuut’ina Nation in Calgary, November 18-21.

In terms of its agenda, the conference was highly biased towards the Canadian government’s point of view. Ministers and government bureaucrats were given pride of place, and grassroots Indigenous dispensary owners were removed from the agenda at the request of Health Canada, who threatened to pull their funding and sponsorship from the conference if any “unregulated” Indigenous cannabis dispensaries were formally listed as appearing on the agenda.

This led to the awkward situation of the conference organizers removing the speakers and logos of the Pikwakanagan Cannabis Business Association (PCBA) from the agenda, even though they had paid to sponsor the conference, and the conference was happening on their own unceded lands. Rob Stevenson, the owner of Medicine Wheel Natural Healing, an Indigenous cannabis dispensary in Alderville First Nation, was also removed from the print version of the agenda. However, while Indigenous dispensaries were not listed in the formal program, both Stevenson and the PCBA did end up making their presentations during the lunch breaks of the conference.

By acceding to the threats of Health Canada to pull funding, the conference organizers lost an opportunity to make Health Canada and Federal and Provincial government representatives recognize and engage with the people who are running the Indigenous cannabis industry in their home communities.

It is unclear whether or not the Provincial and Federal Governments will claim that their attendance and presentations at the NICHC conference constitute “consultation” or “engagement” with Indigenous peoples on the cannabis file, but the fact that the government used its financial influence to limit the people and perspectives being discussed to only those already within the Canadian regulatory structures, should be a clear indication that this conference was no true dialogue, and not a meeting of equals, but an event carried out in accordance with the will of the government. As if to underly this fact, Canadian flags were the only national symbols displayed on the stage.

Government Challenged

While Government officials made tone deaf presentations of all the complex regulatory restrictions that they made up without consulting Indigenous people, conference goers pushed back.

Tim Barnhart, the owner of Legacy 420, the first Indigenous cannabis dispensary to open in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in 2015, asked a pointed question to Health Canada and INAC concerning the nation-to-nation relationship that is supposed to underly Crown-Indigenous affairs in the era of reconciliation. “What’s reconciliation to sovereign nations and sovereign people when you’re standing up there and telling us how this is going to be done? Maybe reconciliation should have started four years ago when you guys started writing up this [cannabis] act.”

Todd Cain of Health Canada responded by suggesting that the Cannabis Act was a “pathway” for people who wanted to fall under Canada’s legal system.

“In every community, circumstances are a little different, and working through those opportunities has been quite an intensive exercise. But that’s the kind of commitment that we’ve demonstrated through over 100 community visits and fairly intensive dialogue with a number of communities who’ve come to us and said how can we integrate what’s happening on the ground with this new national system?”

Todd Cain, Health Canada

Unfortunately, Cain missed the point. Barnhart and others like him are not asking to be included inside Canada’s “legal” system. Instead, Barnhart and other Indigenous sovereigntists, believe that they have every right to grow their own natural medicines and use them the way they see fit on their own land. They don’t want to integrate into Canada’s system, but rather want to be left alone to develop and grow their own economy on their own terms, regulated by their own customs and conventions.

Clan Mother Noeline Villbrun of the Dene Nation also spoke from the floor and brought a perspective from the grassroots traditional people. Chief among her concerns was that the focus of conference presenters on commercializing and profiting from cannabis was missing the point that cannabis is a natural medicine.

… It is medicine from the land. We have all kinds of medicines and plants that existed before this Canadian government came into being as a corporation under the United States. We know the history of how they outlawed the plants, because they could not control the plants. And why? Because the plants are sovereign to our lands. So who has control over these plants? The clan mothers? The traditional healers?

Clan Mother Noeline Villbrun of the Dene Nation

Villbrun’s perspective of viewing cannabis as a medicine is one that has been advanced by many traditional people who don’t believe that any living being should be made “illegal” by governments. Instead, Canada should respect the nation to nation relationship, and acknowledge the special relationship of Indigenous peoples to natural medicines.

I’m here to remind the people that the plant that you’re talking about and that you want to legislate is our medicine. It is healing people. How are you going to help our people with policies that you’re going to create that are barriers to our medicines? Remember, the government said reconciliation. That includes reconciling our people back to the medicines. My recommendation is that this process be brought back to the people in our communities. We don’t need alcohol, we don’t need meth in our communities. We need these plants. The creator put these plants here for a reason. We need to remind ourselves that for every illness there is a plant.

Clan Mother Noeline Villbrun of the Dene Nation

Finally, Villbrun stressed that the voices of those not in attendance should be taken into account.

There are many women and clan mothers and traditional healers who are not here. Their voices need to be heard in this process. Those plants are there for the people. They are not there for industry, because industry has no heart. We know that, look what’s happening in Canada, there’s no reconciliation, I don’t see it. I see all the protests.

Clan Mother Noeline Villbrun of the Dene Nation

The criticism from the floor led Mohan Benello, Director General, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, to acknowledge Indigenous treaty and constitutional rights in relation to cannabis.

I thought I’d make a few comments to address the very, very important question of Section 35 rights [Aboriginal and treaty rights]. The federal government as we well know, and we heard mention of the Supreme Court, in some instances has got it right, in some instances has got it very wrong. Our department – I represent Indigenous Services, but I also work with Crown-Indigenous relations – is undertaking rights and reconciliation discussions across the country with hundreds of communities…. It’s tough work and we’ve heard some very tough and extremely valid questions. We need to look for ways to engage and at the same time realize the opportunities that are in front of us today. We can do that hopefully in parallel…. But as well there’s opportunities for dialogue with Health Canada specifically on cannabis, or with Crown-Indigenous Relations on a whole host of issues where there are concerns about Section 35, whether it be environmental assessment, forestry, fisheries, other economic activities, territorial assertions and claims. Those dialogues will continue. There is space for that.

Mohan Benello, Director General, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.

Building further on these statements, Benello made explicit reference to the Two Row Wampum – considered by many Indigenous people to be the “grandfather” of the treaties Indigenous people made with Crown. The Two Row is a treaty of mutually-beneficial peace, friendship and non-interference that explicitly recognizes the separate yet parallel paths of the peoples of the canoe and the people of the ship.

I think it is a challenge for all of us. When we talk about reconciliation, I often think of the Two Row Wampum and not only what that means to government, but what that means to me as an individual, as a person that lives here. So what I can commit to do is try to move forward in partnership in the best way possible. That is what I can do, and what I can commit to doing. Certainly, I know that there are concerns out there, and we’re doing our best to address that.

Mohan Benello, Director General, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.

The challenges to Canadian government leaders continued on Thursday morning when both The Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health and the Hon. Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security & Organized Crime Reduction opened the conference with their remarks.

Rob Stevenson, the owner of Medicine Wheel Natural Healing, an Indigenous cannabis dispensary in Alderville First Nation, cut to the chase. Addressing the ministers, he stated, “You both acknowledged that we’re holding this conference on the land of the Algonquin people. Do you recognize their inherent sovereign right to regulate natural plant based medicines on their own territory?”

Minister Blair responded on behalf of the Liberal government, and straightforwardly acknowledged the reality of Indigenous jurisdiction.

“Let me first say that a well-articulated position for our government is that we acknowledge and respect the jurisdiction of First Nations. There are important discussions that take place on a nation to nation discussion about how both of our jurisdictions are appropriately exercised in order to protect the health and safety of our communities. It is part of an ongoing discussion, but we most certainly do recognize and acknowledge the jurisdiction of First Nations.”

Hon. Bill Blair

Like the first NICHC conference, the Ottawa conference gave ample time to proponents of government policy to explain themselves and their policies. However, unlike the first conference, there was little space made for the host nation present to clearly articulate their rights and responsibilities as Regena Crowchild did for the Tsuut’ina Nation in Calgary. However, the owners of Indigenous cannabis dispensaries did push back, and during lunch on both days, their presentations did go ahead.

Presentations from Indigenous Cannabis Dispensaries

Rob Stevenson of Medicine Wheel Natural Healing made his presentation during Wednesday’s luncheon, and played a short film showcasing the many contributions his store has made to the Alderville community. Medicine Wheel serves hundreds of customers every day, and gives back to the community in a myriad of ways. These include a payroll of over $1 million a year going to community members, donations to sports groups, and a free weekly language classes for staff.

Stevenson also spoke about the model for Indigenous cannabis self-regulation that is being developed in Alderville by the Mississauga of Rice Lake Cannabis Association. The group was formed by Alderville community members in June of 2018, and has been developing a framework for self-regulation of the Alderville cannabis industry. The Association is holding a meeting on March 9th, 2019 in Alderville and is hoping to further workshop its framework so that it can be adopted by other Indigenous communities seeking a sovereign, community controlled form of cannabis regulation.

At the Thursday luncheon, members of the Pikwakanagan Cannabis Business Association made a presentation about their efforts to create an above ground cannabis economy in their community. As in Alderville, a half dozen Indigenous cannabis dispensaries have come together to create an association to represent themselves and advance their sovereign rights. In Pikwakanagan, cannabis dispensaries are the largest employer on reserve, providing work for about 90 members of the community of 450 people.

Next steps

In terms of where the Indigenous cannabis movement goes from here, there are a few possibilities. Indigenous dispensaries from across Ontario will be gathering in Alderville on March 9th to work on developing a common framework, while another NICHC gathering is planned for November 26-28th 2019 in Kelowna, BC. With the industry moving as quickly as it is, how the political terrain will look in 6 months time is anyone’s guess.

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