Indigenous chiefs and councillors from across the province met with leaders in the hemp and cannabis industry on Tuesday at a first-of-its-kind conference.
The two-day event, titled the Indigenous Inclusion in the Hemp and Cannabis Industries Conference, was put on by the Kawacatoose First Nation. The aim is to build a partnership between hemp and cannabis companies, and the new Indigenous cooperative.
"You look at the medicinal use and how a lot of people utilize it,” said Darin Poorman, director of operations for Kawacatoose First Nation. “It opens your eyes a little bit."
According to Poorman, there is no official mandate for Indigenous groups to get into the cannabis industry as of yet. However, they do see the processing and growth portion of hemp to be very lucrative, providing future jobs for Indigenous communities like Kawacatooose.
"We are not a tourist area. We are not situated by a lake or adjacent to a city. We are agriculture land."
According to Poorman, there is over three million acres of land that belong to Indigenous and Metis groups in the province. The hope is to get a cooperative among all First Nation groups in two years.
