Small New Brunswick village banks on pot to revive economy

Nestled between the northern Appalachian Mountains and theRestigoucheRiver, the village of Atholville has lost jobs and people over the years.

The beautiful, somewhat remote village just west of Campbelltonis home to about 3,570 people.

Pot may be the reason many of them will stay.

Unemployment in the region is the highest in the province, but it's down nearly three per cent from this time last year, in part because ofZenabis, a medical marijuana production company that chose Atholvillefor a new plant.

"There's a huge hiring burst happening right now," said MayNazair, manager of quality control compliance and communications atZenabis.

"We're looking to hire an additional 60 people."

Sixty people already workat the plant, where there was a flurry of activity recently because of harvest week. It was time to pick the buds.

High praise for workforce

The business received its production licence from Health Canada in August 2017, and it's been a busy year in a fast-moving industry.

"You'll notice that everyone here is extremely motivated, very skilled, very stubborn," Nazairsaid.

"And we get things done,and we're in it to win it, that's for sure."

Many people in the village are hopingthis is the industry that will last.

Mayor MichelSoucy, a lifelong resident ofAtholville, has been involved in local politics for 20 years.

Easy decision

Mayor MichelSoucy, a lifelong resident ofAtholville, has been involved in local politics for 20 years.

He's familiar with the hard times the village and region have faced.

"I don't know what year it was, but they shut down the CN Rail inCampbellton," he said."Welost over 1,000 jobs."

"We had at our industrial park ... they were producing those small portable radios and we had close to 1,000 jobs there, so that was closed."

The whole area felt the effects, Soucy said, so whenZenabiscame calling, he jumped at the chance.

"They had seen the building that was for sale and they wanted to know how the citizens ofAtholville,or the citizens in the area,would feel with the coming of a cannabis plant in the area," he said.

And didSoucyfind support from people in the community?

"People were looking for jobs, that's one thing," he said. "But on the other hand, the commercial sector, people, business people, they were looking to get something different."

Company 'fell in love'

Zenabis, which already had a plant in Delta, B.C., showed up in the area in2013, when the company was known as International Herbs.

"It was a very hospitable community," Nazair said. "And they were very open to working with the company, and there was this opportunity, this big warehouse available at the time, and all the ducks lined up.

"I guess [Zenabis]fell in love with this community and they really wanted to make a difference here."

But it wasn't quick or easy.

DenisCormier, aco-owner of Central Garage, a car dealership inAtholville, saidthat 30 years ago, it would have beena stretch to think he'd ever lobbygovernment representatives in support of cannabis growers, but times have changed.

"Good or bad, I think it's going to benefit a lot of people. We want jobs, here we have an opportunity to have some, we should benefit from it."

CormiersaidZenabisrepresentatives came to his dealership in 2013 looking to lease a car, and there have been ups and downs since then.

SoucyandRgisMaltais, the former president of theCampbelltonRegional Chamber of Commerce, were vocal in demanding support from governmentfor the cannabis enterprise and asking Health Canada to speed up the process of granting a production licence to Zenabis.

The company didn't have a licence when itbought its 393,000-square-foot warehouse in March 2014, but it said it would create 400 jobs in theAtholvillearea.

New hope

Some 1,400 people applied for them, but the licence and the jobs were elusive.

In October 2015, went as far aslisting the building for sale.

But support eventually came in the form of a$4 million loan from the provincial governmentfor upgrades to the building, followed by the licence to grow cannabis.

Now that things are moving, Soucyis feelinga new sense of hope in the community.

"Our youth were heading outside for a university degree or post-secondary education, and unfortunately they were staying in the place where they were getting their education."

I always considered it to be home, but it's good to be able to call it home and actually be here.- Nicholas Caissy, Zenabisemployee

To make things worse,Soucysaid, older people who missed their children and grandchildren were moving from Atholvilleto be closer to their families.

Now people like NicholasCaissyare bucking the trend. He's from the region but left to go to university. After starting his career in the Halifax area, hedecided to return home.

"I used to work for a company called Survival Systems Training over in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia,"Caissy said. "It's a training company for offshore personnel, military,RCMPall kinds of groups, and I worked there as an operations maintenance supervisor."

He had been warned by friends that the job outlook back home was bleak, soCaissyfelt lucky to find part-time work as a supply teacher upon his return.

Not a standard job

"There's a whole multitude of work out there, but a lot of it is part-time," he said. "And unfortunately part-time work doesn't give you much in terms of if you want to settle down, buy a house, anything like that.

"I didn't see much in terms of salaries that I would be looking for."

Then Caissy came across a posting atZenabis, applied and got the job.

"I would not be doing anything nearly as exciting I can tell you that.'- JessieBoekelder, Zenabisemployee

"It's not just a standard job that you just go into everyday, and that's all you're going to do for the rest of your life," he said.

"For those with a path that they want to gain in, or they are looking for opportunity, I think it's a great thing for the region."

The 28-year-old can finally see himself staying.

"I always considered it to be home, but it's good to be able to call it home and actually be here."

A more exciting life

Jessie Boekelder, the cultivation technician specializing in irrigation took online courses after graduating from university to make sure she was qualified to work at Zenabis.

She is passionate about medical marijuana.

"I would not be doing anything nearly as exciting I can tell you that," she said. "I would likely be working at my old job, which was just at a cafe."

With BillC45passed,recreational marijuana will be sold, legally, in Canada starting Oct. 17.

Zenabisis already on board, with one of three agreements to supply New Brunswick stores with cannabis.