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Marijuana company revives rooftop garden WE Vancouver. “In fact, I supplied a letter to the city that made it quite clear that there will be no applications ffinor, a Montrealfor marijuana. I don’t even based medical like the marijuana markets. I marijuana comcan’t get a $100-million purpany, is taking chase order for marijuana in over a controversial rooftop Canada but I can get one for garden in Vanstrawberries.” couver after the In an email, original operators the city conwent bankrupt. firmed that the Affinor says it final draft of the has purchased the licence agreeassets belonging ment signed to Alterrus, which by Affinor was grew baby greens “only for the on the top floor cultivation and of the city-owned production of parking garage in food, including the 500-block of Nick Brusatore fruits, vegetaRichards Street. bles, edible herbs But don’t expect and legumes.” any pot to start popping up. When the greenhouse Executive chairman Nick first launched in November Brusatore says Affinor only 2012, Alterrus projected plans to grow food. it could produce 150,000 “The rooftop in Vanpounds of pesticide-free couver is all about sustainleafy green vegetables and able food, I can promise herbs to be distributed you that,” Brusatore told
By Kelsey Klassen
A
to local restaurants and grocers. The project – touted by Mayor Gregor Robertson as an example of Vancouver’s “booming clean tech sector” – closed when Alterrus Systems Inc. and its subsidiary Local Garden Vancouver Inc. declared bankruptcy on Jan. 21 after less than two years of operation. Brusatore said Affinor won’t face the same financial issues. “There’s no pressure on this facility,” he said. “It’s paid for, cash. There’s no debt.” Alterrus had a 10-year deal with the city to lease the property for $4,800 a month. When that deal was first announced, it prompted NPA Coun. George Affleck to issue a press release at that time calling for the city to invite the auditor general for local government to examine the contract between Alter-
rus and the city. Brusatore says Affinor has the same agreement. He also says Affinor expects to have the old facility producing baby greens again within the next 60 days, and is working on a proposal to expand the facility with new structures for the cultivation of mechanically-pollinated strawberries. Brusatore says the crops will be sold to Choices Markets. According to Brusatore, Affinor has also recently met with the University of British Columbia and the University of the Fraser Valley to fund aquaculture and greenhouse projects with its equipment. He says the company ultimately hopes to utilize its connections with the universities to run new wave agriculture and vertical farming technology training programs out of the rooftop facility.
“I’m all about solving world hunger, world crop problems,” said Brusatore. “I’m just excited to do this. If this small company does nothing but create jobs and we learn more from it, but I don’t lose my butt, then that’s fine.” Affinor, which became the first Canadian company to grow and sell marijuana in the United States in August, intends to market its vertical farming technology, along with Alterrus’ old greenhouse patents, to increase its stake in the medical marijuana market. ‘I’m not going to mention marijuana for the City of Vancouver [but] if the city is interested, now I can help you,” said Brusatore, “I can do it better than anybody for the city, and we could easily put the City of Vancouver as the instant leader as well.” –With files from Mike Howell
Save on Meats owner responds to multiple lawsuits By Jen St. Denis
T
he owner of Save On Meats says that despite facing several lawsuits and a tumultuous two years in which several of his businesses were closed, sold, or relocated, it’s business as usual at his well-known Downtown Eastside diner and butcher shop. Court documents show Mark Brand is being sued for $324,000 by restaurant sup-
plier Sysco Canada for allegedly failing to pay invoices between May 2011 and April 2013. In a response, Brand says Sysco did not honour an agreement to give a discount to Save On Meats. Brand claims Sysco had agreed to charge him less because Save On Meats hires people with barriers to employment and operates a meals program for DTES residents. Court documents also show Save On Meats has made arrangements to pay
back a total of $407,495 in taxes in arrears. Brand has filed a counter suit, claiming damages for misrepresentation and unlawful interference with contractual relations. In a separate lawsuit, Cintas Canada, a uniform supplier, alleges Brand owes the company $21,077. Brand counters in his court filings that the contract was signed by an unauthorized staff member and is therefore invalid. Brand is also named in
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two small claims cases. Joanne Griffiths, who partnered to buy and run a charity with Brand in 2012, filed a case in April 2014 claiming Brand owes her $3,000 after she decided she no longer wanted to be involved in the charity and agreed to be bought out in February 2013. In documents filed with the court, Brand wrote that A Better Life Foundation is not in a position to pay Griffiths now, but that Griffiths is welcome to donate the $3,000 and get a tax receipt. The case is due to go before a mediator in November. Calen Knauf, a graphic designer, started a small claims case against Brand in 2012, claiming Brand owes him $6,000 for a website.
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According to a counterclaim Brand filed, the restaurateur claimed that missed “deliverables” on the project had caused him to lose $150,000 worth of business. Court documents show that Brand’s counterclaim was dismissed after Brand failed to attend a mediation session in June. None of the allegations in these lawsuits have been proven in court. Brand nevertheless says all the lawsuits are without merit and he is confident he will win. “We’re really good operators and we’re really honest, but we also won’t be bullied,” Brand said. “So I will never back down from a legal position.” –Story courtesy of Business in Vancouver; with files from Darryl Greer
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Teachers to vote Thursday on new contract
BC teachers could be back in the classrooms as early as Monday should they choose to vote in favour of a tentative six-year deal with the BC government on Thursday. Mediator Vince Ready helped the BC Teachers’ Federation and the BC Public School Employers’ Association reach the tentative settlement in the early hours of Sept. 16. BCTF president Jim Iker said Tuesday afternoon that the provincial teachers’ union is recommending its members ratify the contract. “It was a tough series of negotiations but there were meaningful achievements in this field for teachers and students,” said Iker. “A tentative deal includes hundreds of new teaching positions each year as the result of an annual education fund that will be used exclusively for bargaining with new members, a mutually agreed process to address any future court decision.” The public is prohibited from being told the complete details of the proposed deal until it is ratified by BCTF members, although leaked details are rumored to include a 7.25 per cent pay raise for teachers over six years, $108 million set aside to address class size and composition grievances, and an education fund of $480 million over five years with $400 million for BCTF members and $80 million for CUPE school support workers. A beaming Premier Christy Clark called the six-year agreement historic at her own afternoon press conference on Tuesday. “We’ll have five years in which we can sit and talk about the things that really matter and that’s improving education for children in classrooms,” she said. The Vancouver School Board has complained that costs of previous collective agreement settlements were downloaded to school districts. “Clearly, we made the commitment at the beginning of this that the increases are within our budget parameters, so it is the provincial government that is funding this particular settlement,” Education Minister Peter Fassbender said at the Tuesday press conference. –With files from Andrew Fleming and Cheryl Rossi
WEVancouver.com