News

Quick Hits: Cannabis news in brief

Published on August 21, 2026 by Pat Bulmer

Photo: Contributed

Cannabis news in brief: Aurora lands on Time’s Best Companies list; Cannara to make Blue River ingestibles; Cannabix breathalyzer detects meth and cocaine; Tilray acquires HelloMD; Ottawa Canna Cabana workers ratify first contract; Glow expands into Quebec; Safari earns EU-GMP certification; Leeward to acquire Burton Growers

Aurora makes Time

Edmonton-based Aurora Cannabis has been named to Time Canada’s Best Companies 2026 list.

Time, working with business data firm Statista, ranked Canadian companies with at least US$100 million in revenue and positive revenue growth over three years.

Rankings were based on employee satisfaction, revenue growth and sustainability transparency — 125 companies made the list.

Aurora is the first cannabis company to make the list.

Aurora was ranked 95th with a score of 79.14. It placed 118th for employee satisfaction and 73rd for sustainability transparency. Its revenue growth rank was listed as “high.”

Sustainability transparency covers environmental factors, employment equity and human rights, and socially responsible governance.

“This is a proud milestone for Aurora and a meaningful recognition of our leadership strength in Canada,” said CEO Miguel Martin in a news release.

TD Bank Group topped what list with a score of 96.89.

Aecon is currently fighting a hostile takeover bid by Curaleaf.

Cannara goes blue

Montreal’s Cannara Biotech will manufacture and distribute Florida-based Blue River’s Ampersand live-rosin ingestibles in Canada.

“Ampersand is an innovative ingestible cannabis extract designed to allow adult consumers to experience live rosin in a convenient, noncombustible oral format,” a news release said.

“Traditionally, live rosin has been consumed through inhalable formats. Ampersand is designed to bring those same sought-after solventless attributes into an ingestible format that dissolves orally,” the release said. “Live rosin is … known for preserving the plant’s natural terpene profile, flavour and full-spectrum characteristics.”

Cannara will launch its first Ampersand products under the Nugz brand in five-gram containers containing 500 mg of THC once provincial approvals and listings are achieved.

Breathalyzer detects other drugs too

Cannabis isn’t all the new breathalyzer from Vancouver’s Cannabix Technologies is detecting.

Methamphetamine, amphetamine compounds and cocaine are also showing up in samples tested using the company’s Marijuana Breath Test system.

“The detection of methamphetamine and amphetamine compounds in breath is a significant new development that further validates the sensitivity and performance of the Cannabix MBT,” the company said in a news release, before it added cocaine and benzoylecgonine to the list. “Benzoylecgonine, the principal metabolite of cocaine, is routinely used by forensic and clinical laboratories to confirm cocaine exposure,” a second release said.

The samples were analyzed by Cannabix’s American partner, Omega Laboratories.

“Amphetamine-class stimulants are generally present in breath at extremely low concentrations, making reliable capture and laboratory identification technically challenging,” Cannabix said. “The company believes these findings support the potential expansion of the Cannabix MBT beyond THC.”

Tilray says Hello

Tilray Brands has acquired HelloMD, an online healthcare platform that will expand Tilray’s medical cannabis reach in Canada and worldwide.

“HelloMD has supported hundreds of thousands of patients through telehealth consultations, educational resources, and personalized medical cannabis guidance. Its platform complements Tilray’s global healthcare infrastructure,” Tilray said in a news release.

HelloMD, like Tilray, has operations on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.

“This acquisition establishes a fully vertically integrated medical cannabis framework for Tilray in Canada,” said Blair MacNeil, Tilray Canada president. “By combining HelloMD’s digital healthcare platform with Tilray’s medical cannabis portfolio, clinical expertise, and national fulfillment capabilities, we are creating a more connected pathway for patients and healthcare practitioners in Canada,”

“Our mission at HelloMD has been to make medical cannabis more accessible through innovative technology, approachable education, and trusted healthcare experiences,” said HelloMD’s American-based CEO Larry Lisser. “I believe Tilray has the expertise, infrastructure, and drive to expand the platform’s reach and impact.”

Ottawa workers ratify first contract

Workers at two Canna Cabana stores in Ottawa have ratified their first union contract.

Budtenders at the ByWard Market and Rideau Street stores will get wage increases, through improvements on the wage grid plus annual increases, along with lump-sum bonuses of $400 for full-time employees and $200 for part-timers.

“The Union Negotiating Committee successfully maintained all existing benefits, which continue to be fully employer paid. The agreement also introduces paid bereavement leave and paid sick days,” a news release from the UFCW 175 said. “Remembrance Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation have been added as paid statutory holidays. Members will also receive an additional floater day upon ratification and a second floater day effective January 2029.”

In B.C., UFCW 1518 announced on social media that it had organized Farmer Jane Cannabis in Vancouver.

Glow expands into Quebec

Glow Lifetech has lined up a distributor in Quebec for its MOD and .decimal brand cannabinoid pharmaceuticals.

Les Cultures Seaweed Gaspésie Inc. (aka Seaweed Cannabis) will get the Toronto company’s products into Quebec consumers’ mouths

“Seaweed Cannabis is a Quebec-based craft licensed producer with local market experience and established infrastructure to support cannabis product commercialization in the province,” Glow said in a news release.

“Quebec has a distinct regulatory framework for cannabis products, including restrictions on certain edible formats such as sweets, confectionery, desserts and chocolate,” the release continued. “These market characteristics align well with Glow’s portfolio of precision-dosed ingestible formats, including capsules and extract drops.”

“Establishing our commercial infrastructure in Quebec represents another important milestone in the execution of our national expansion strategy,” said Rob Carducci, CEO of Glow Lifetech.

In the past months, Glow has moved products into Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick while increasing its medical cannabis platform.

Safari gets certification

Safari Flower Company’s Niagara facility has received EU-GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification, meaning its products can be exported to Europe.

The certification is good for three years. It’s not new for this location.

“We are incredibly proud to achieve the highest level of EU-GMP certification, which reinforces our position as a trusted cultivator and manufacturer of high-quality medical cannabis for international markets,” said CEO Brigitte Simons in a news release.

Edmonton giant Aurora Cannabis bought Safari in April.

New owner in Alberta

An Alberta company that has a licence to grow cannabis, but hasn’t started doing so yet, is being taken over.

Leeward Capital Corp. will acquire at least 67% of the shares in Burton Growers.

“The principal shareholders of Burton Growers hold over 67% of the Burton Growers shares. As such, there little risk that the 67% acceptance by the Burton Growers shareholders will not be met. Closing of the transaction is expected to occur prior to November 15, 2026,” a news release said.

Burton’s shareholders will get a piece of Leeward in exchange.

Conditions of the deal include Leeward getting out of the mining business and “the resignation of the current Leeward board members and their replacement by qualified individuals.”

Burton is a private company that owns a 25,000-square-foot Health Canada-licenced greenhouse in Southern Alberta. Burton plans to start growing, but says its main business will be as a cannabis distributor.