A Winnipeg cannabis producer has handed over operations to another company and fired senior management following an investigation into “unauthorized” pot supplies.
George Robinson, CEO of RavenQuest, said at a news conference Thursday his company was brought in by Bonify to conduct a thorough probe, sparked by a recall of Bonify products.
Last week, Manitoba regulators seized all Bonify products from the province’s stores because of possible contamination concerns.
Robinson said the investigation revealed “irregularities pertaining to the recalled product,” and that 52 bags with 3.5 grams of cannabis each from the 200 kgs of the “unauthorized” product were sold in Saskatchewan.
None of the cannabis from the unauthorized batch was sold in Manitoba.
WATCH: ‘We do not know the source’ — Investigators can’t say where the “unauthorized” weed came from
Robinson said they still did not know the source of the cannabis that was pulled, saying it could even have come from the black market.
“Could be, but I don’t know the source, we don’t know the source. I can tell you right now no one in here and in our investigation can tell you where the source of the material came from,” Robinson said.
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In total, three Bonify senior managers were let go and an executive assistant was released without cause.
Robinson said some staff were worried that coming forward with their concerns could have cost them their positions.
“Some of those people felt their jobs were also on the line,” Robinson said.
WATCH: Bonify ‘change in culture’ blamed for pulled products
“The front-line workers were trying to do their jobs but there were others who were instructing them to not follow regulations and that got us to the point where we are today.”
After the second expanded recall, Health Canada said almost 5,900 units of these products had been sold in two Saskatchewan stores and throughout Manitoba between Oct. 22 and Dec. 20, 2018.
“Eight of the recalled lots also have a labelling error where the cannabinoid values are reversed,” stated the recall notice.
WATCH: Bonify executives fired, source of pulled product unknown
Manitoba premier Brian Pallister said his government acted quickly to seize all products in stock, but voiced concern with the way Health Canada handled its communication.
“We came into possession of this information courtesy of the company itself, not from Health Canada,” Premier Brian Pallister said. “That is totally unacceptable.”
Pallister said the federal government had known about the issue for a week and a half without notifying his office. He said the government can’t protect cannabis users if the federal government doesn’t communicate.
To date, no complaints have been received related to the recalled lots. Neither Health Canada nor Bonify has received any adverse reports for the recalled cannabis product.
Health Canada is continuing its investigation.
“The department is still assessing the available information to determine whether, in fact, there has been any contravention of the law. No such determination has been made at this time.”
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