Exploring Progressive Solutions:
Innovating Within the Regional Cannabis Sector
A 3-YEAR REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

A PRESENTATION OF POTENTIAL PILOT PROJECTS
Prepared for licensed producers & processors
Breakfast Meeting, May 30, 2025
Dr. Tracey Harvey, Selkirk Innovates

Agenda
•
•
•

Meeting Overview & Introductions
April 23rd reflections
Potential Pilots & Feedback

10 min break

•

Exercise: How would you allocate funds?
– Open Discussion

•

Wrap-up & Next Steps

April 23 Breakfast meeting survey results
What you told us (9 people responded):
Best part?
• “Collaboration and cooperation. Sharing of insights as to the current market. Having most the local
cultivations in the same room is priceless”
• “Connecting with producers who have the same objectives and listening to their ideas and concerns”
• “Good to get everyone in the same room together”
• “Having everyone in the same room to really try and get traction on what’s most important “
Anything missing?
• “Seemed like folks were eager to do some brainstorming so maybe some dedicated time for that
would've helped”
• “It may be a good idea to have government representatives attend, specifically; BC/Kootenay Tourism
Associations, BCLDB and Local BC MLAs and MPs or representatives of same”
• “Possibly more retail voices"

Ten Potential Pilots (an overview)
Storytelling, Tourism & Market Differentiation Pilots
1. “Voices of the Kootenays” – Regional Cannabis Storytelling Campaign
2. Building the Kootenay Cannabis Trail
3. Kootenay Quality Badge Certification
Trade, Export & Geographic Indications
4. Team Kootenay International Trade Delegation
5. Export Readiness Accelerator Program and Shared Export Administration Pilot (2 Phases)
6. Kootenay Cannabis Appellation Strategy (VQA Model) (2 Phases)
Governance, Knowledge Sharing, Government Relations & Community Building
7. Formalize Team Kooteany - Governance and Funding Model Exploration
8. Budtender & Retail Education Series - Voices of the Kootenays in Stores
9. Policy & Government Engagement Toolkit + Tours
10. “Kootenay Grown” Digital Content Hub

Pilot 1:
“Voices of the Kootenays”
Regional Cannabis
Storytelling Campaign

Image: Tyeson Carmody; Photo from Hightide Mfg website

Purpose:
Establish a regional identity for Kootenay cannabis through compelling
storytelling. Includes video and written content celebrating the region’s
legacy, resilience, community & values
Deliverables:
•5-part docuseries + 2 introductory videos + written pieces
•Integrated rollout via YouTube, Digital Hub, Instagram, LinkedIn
and email campaigns
•Host one live storytelling event
Timeline: 12 months
Shoestring Budget: $30,000–40,000 (simpler production, in-house/webbased) vs Ideal Budget: $50,000–60,000 (higher-quality video production,
editing, and outreach)
Opportunities:
•Solid narrative inquiry component for research
•Potential partners: Nelson Museum, Kootenay Coop Radio
•Inclusive; educational; builds authentic connection & helps
normalize cannabis tradition; complements many other pilots
Challenges:
•Working within federal promotional restrictions (keep educational
tone)

Pilot 2: Building the
Kootenay Cannabis Trail

Image: Cannabis tourism tour in Denver

Purpose:
Develop a cannabis trail implementation plan connecting licensed
producers, licensed retailers, consumption spaces, and cannabisfriendly events, modeled after the BC Ale Trail
Deliverables:
•10 producer profiles
•A digital map & website
•Digital and print trail vision pieces with sample profiles
•A roadmap to operationalize the Trail
Timeline: 12 months (July 2025 – July 2026)
Shoestring Budget: $20,000 - $25,000 vs Ideal Budget: $30,00045,000 (includes branding, design, professional tourism strategy,
and digital assets)
Opportunities:
•Potential partners: Kootenay Rockies Tourism, Nelson
Kootenay Lake Tourism, Arrow Slocan Tourism, Destination BC
•Could be developed in parallel with Craft Cannabis
Association of BC’s REDIP funded Building Cowichan
Cannabis Trail
Challenges:
•Local regulations/political concern around cannabis
consumption spaces
•Ensuring enough licensed operators want to participate

Pilot 3: Kootenay
Quality Badge (KQB)
Certification
Concept image by Cactus Genetics

Purpose:
Create a regional quality assurance badge for Kootenay-grown cannabis, verifying
artisanal production methods and unique regional qualities; Signals a commitment
to high standards, consistency and trust to retailers and consumers.
Deliverables:
•A grower defined standards document (input types, practices, growing space)
•Official KQB label/logo for compliant producers; badge design + usage
guidelines
•Pilot activation with 5 to 7 producers
Timeline: 10 months (Sept 2025 – June 2026)
Shoestring Budget: $20,000–25,000 (DIY design + fewer producers in pilot) vs Ideal
Budget: $40,000–60,000 (legal input, formal audits + more producers)
Opportunities:
•Enhances consumer trust and differentiates products for export (Pilot 5) &
retail (pilot 9); promotes trail (Pilot 2) and storytelling (Pilot 1)
•Helps support government engagement efforts (Pilot 8)
•Can serve as a precursor to a regional appellation (Pilot 6)
Challenges:
•Voluntary & lacks legal authority: difficult to enforce if not tied to legal
designation
•Requires industry-wide buy-in to have impact

10 minute Discussion on Pilots 1 to 3:
Let’s chat about Storytelling, Tourism & Market Differentiation Pilots:
Pilot 1: “Voices of the Kootenays” – Regional Cannabis Storytelling Campaign
Pilot 2: Building the Kootenay Cannabis Trail
Pilot 3: Kootenay Quality Badge (KQB) Certification
1.Gut Check: Of these three, which feels most valuable or urgent to you and why? (3mins)
2.Clarity & Missing pieces: Thinking about your top choice, is anything missing from the
description? (3mins)
3.Real World Fit: Would you personally participate in any of these pilots? What would make it
easier for you to participate? (3mins)

Pilot 4: Team Kootenay –
International Trade
Delegation

Purpose:
Represent Kootenay producers at international trade shows,
promoting unity, export opportunities, and networking
Deliverables:
•Design and buy or rent a regionally branded trade booth
•Shared regional booth at 2 major events (e.g., Spannabis,
ICBC, Mary Jane)
•Export-focused media kit
•Follow-up networking webinar
Timeline: 9 months (September 2025 – June 2026)
Shoestring Budget: $25,000–35,000 vs Ideal Budget: $50,000–
60,000 (professional branding, more shows +/or more growers)
Opportunities:
•Uses content from Voices of the Kootenays (Pilot 1) in
presentations
•Aligns with Quality Badge (Pilot 3) & Export Readiness
initiatives (Pilot 5);
•Global visibility, promotes future B2B partnerships;
regional recognition
•Low barrier entry into global markets, momentum builder
for regional export strategy
Challenges:
•High travel costs for participants
•Trade restrictions on international advertising
•THC focused exports may disqualify potential funding

Image: 2025 Spannabis poster

Pilot 5: Export
Readiness Accelerator
Program + Shared
Export Administration
Pilot

Purpose:
Phase 1: Equip small producers with the tools & knowledge to pursue
international medical cannabis markets; Phase 2: Reduce individual producer
burden by piloting shared services for documentation, compliance, and
export logistics
Deliverables:
•Phase 1: Workshops/webinars on GACP, EU-GMP certifications &
compliance, logistics, export-readiness workbook; group training, Q&A +
follow up resources
•Phase 2: 3-5 producers trial a shared export admin service; share
common tools, participation framework
Timeline: Phase 1: 3-4 months (Sept 2025 to Dec 2025), Phase 2: 12 months
(December 2025 – December 2026)
Shoestring Budget phase 1: $20,000–25,000 AND Shoestring Budget phase 2:
$35,000–50,000
Opportunities:
•Direct feeders for Trade Delegation (Pilot 4); Leverages Digital Hub (Pilot
10) for training content; shared infrastructure
•Phase 1: Accessible for all producers, regardless of readiness level;
reusable digital content; builds baseline understanding for Phase 2.
•Phase 2: cost-efficient, scalable, strengthens sector credibility
Challenges:
•Phase 1: no individualized support, may require follow up for producers
•Phase 2: varying levels of readiness; producers need to be exportlicensed already for Phase 2

Pilot 6: Kootenay
Appellation Strategy

Image: Slocan Lake, Kootenay Region

Purpose:
Protect and differentiate Kootenay cannabis through a
terroir-based designation or certification standard—similar
to VQA (wine), AOC (France), or GIs (EU)
Deliverables:
•Phase 1: legal + policy feasibility review, communityinformed quality standards framework, consultations,
summary report & framework
•Phase 2: test pilot with growers, produce branding,
compliance and education materials, workshops,
gather feedback for full-scale roll-out
Timeline: Phase 1: 6 months (November 2025 to April
2026), Phase 2: 18-24 months
Budget: $10,000–$16,000 Phase 1 for research, and Phase
2 for testing pilot $40,000 - $60,000
Opportunities:
•Sets up strategic regional differentiation +
international recognition
• Potential partnerships with wine industry advisors, BC
agri-food
Challenges:
•Canada lacks legal framework; long path to legal
recognition
•A legal designation requires federal/provincial
engagement and coordination among producers

10 minute Discussion on Pilots 4 to 6:
Let’s chat about International Trade, Export & Geographic Indicators:
Pilot 4: Team Kootenay – International Trade Delegation
Pilot 5: Export Accelerator Program + Shared Export Admin Pilot
Pilot 6: Kootenay Appellation Strategy (CQA)
1. Gut Check: Of these three, which feels most valuable or urgent to you and why?
(3mins)
2. Clarity & Missing pieces: Thinking about your top choice, is anything missing from
the description? (3mins)
3. Real World Fit: Would you personally participate in any of these pilots? What would
make it easier for you to participate? (3mins)

Pilot 7: Formalize Team
Kootenay - Governance
& Funding Model
Exploration
Image: Craft Cannabis Association of BC (CCABC) –
a province wide non-profit industry association

Purpose:
Explore and pilot a formal structure to carry regional efforts forward
(e.g., nonprofit, co-op, alliance)

Deliverables:
•Options report (with funding opportunities)
•Stakeholder session
•Draft bylaws and structure; Incorporation (optional)
Timeline: Research June – July 2025 (1-2 months); Incorporation
August –Dec 2025 (5 months)
Shoestring Budget: Research: $2,500 & Launch: $5,500 = $8,000 vs
Ideal Budget: $12,000
Opportunities:
•Secures long-term capacity and funding
•Provides backbone for Pilots 1–10; owns IP
•Supports grant eligibility for wish-list initiatives
•Potential local Partners: KAST (business incubator), Community
Futures
Challenges:
•Need buy-in, ongoing admin costs & time – need a champion!

Pilot 8: Policy &
Government Engagement
Toolkit + Tours
Image: Minister Mike Farnworth who previously oversaw public safety and cannabis;
Honorable Garry Begg is current Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General

Purpose:
Build an engagement toolkit & host tours to engage government
on key policy issues & share the economic importance of the
regional sector. Identify what levers government can pull to
support industry; seek regional representation at BC cannabis
stores
Deliverables:
•3 to 5 one-page "asks" for most regionally important policy
issues & Fact Sheets
•1 to 2 farm tours for government officials
•Presentations (AKBLG, UBCM) sharing research data for
policymakers
•Wish list: an accessible + clear pathway to farmgate or
similar retail
Timeline: 8-12 months (Sept 2025 – Sept 2026)
Shoestring Budget: $10,000 - $12,000 (leverage student writers)
vs Ideal Budget: $20,000 (travel, legal review, and event costs)
Opportunities:
•Can use Cannabis Trail (Pilot 2) for farm tours
•Supports Trade Delegation (Pilot 4) by improving national
reputation
•Plan timing with other local events for MLAs, MPs, Health
Canada, Cannabis Secretariat participation
Challenges:
•Government reluctance to support cannabis sector; stigma;
provincial and federal gov’t difficult to engage

Pilot 9 Budtender & Retail
Education – Voices of the
Kootenays in Stores

Dutch Love Cannabis Retail Store, Lake Country

Purpose:
Empower budtenders to tell compelling stories about
Kootenay-grown cannabis, improving regional positioning and
consumer awareness; legacy to legal knowledge transfer
Deliverables:
•Digital toolkit (adapted videos, mini-stories, talking
points, educational decks/posters)
•Pilot decks in 5–7 diverse stores (urban, rural, chain,
independent)
•*optional: pop-up storytelling educational booth at
retail stores in Vancouver
Timeline: 8–10 months (September 2025 to July 2026)
Shoestring Budget: $10,000 vs Ideal Budget: $15,000–20,000
(includes travel for pop-ups outside BC)
Opportunities:
•Educate retailers as influencers; strengthens regional
messaging; humanizes work
Challenges:
•promotion rules require non-branded, factbased/educational messaging; retailer turnover;
sustained impact requires follow-up
•consumer indifference (cheap product + high THC)

Pilot 10:
“Kootenay
Grown”
Digital Hub

Concept image by Cactus Genetics

Purpose:
Create shared communication, website and digital
infrastructure that supports multiple pilots — storytelling,
trail, badge, delegation, gov’t engagement, budtender
education, and more
Deliverables:
•Discord or WhatsApp group
•Website with interactive features and mobile
responsiveness
•Shared resource hub with export, retail, government
relations materials, and regional identity materials
Timeline: Discord: now; Web hub: 3-12 months (starting
July 2025)
Shoestring Budget: $10,000 - $12,000 (design, content,
admin + maintenance) vs Ideal Budget: $20,000–35,000
(expanded scope to support many overlapping projects)
Opportunities:
•Central to Pilots 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and more; one-stop
resource, enables collaboration
•Long-term legacy platform for region
Challenges:
•Requires active moderation and funding past pilot
phase; maintenance + new materials

10 minute Discussion on Pilots 7 to 10:
Let’s chat about Governance, Knowledge Sharing, Government Relations & Community
Building:
Pilot 7: Formalizing Team Kootenay – Governance & Funding Model Exploration
Pilot 8: Policy & Government Engagement Toolkit + Tours
Pilot 9: Budtender & Retail Education – “Voices of the Kootenays in Stores”
Pilot 10: “Kootenay Grown” Digital Knowledge Hub
1.Gut Check: Of these three, which feels most valuable or urgent to you and why? (3mins)
2.Clarity & Missing pieces: Thinking about your top choice, is anything missing from the
description? (3mins)
3.Real World Fit: Would you personally participate in any of these pilots? What would make
it easier for you to participate? (3mins)

10:15 to 10:25

10 Minute Break

Potential Pilot Summary
Pilot Project

Shoestring Budget (Lower End)

Ideal Budget (High-End)

Synergies & Potential Partnerships

1. Storytelling Campaign

$30,000

$60,000

Supports Trail, Badge, Digital Hub, Government Engagement, Budtender Education,
Delegation; potential collab with Nelson Museum, filmmakers, local creatives & media,
tourism organizations

2. The Kootenay Cannabis Trail

$20,000

$45,000

Aligns with Storytelling, Badge, Government Engagement, Digital Hub. Potential
partners: KRT, Destination BC, NKL Tourism

3. Kootenay Quality Badge

$20,000

$60,000

Links to Government Engagement (adds legitimacy). Synergy with Storytelling (content),
Trail (visitor confidence), Education, Appellation; needs producers, marketing/branding,
QA experts

4. International Trade Delegation

$25,000

$60,000

Reinforces Export Admin/Accelerator and Digital Hub. Boosted by Quality Badge,
Storytelling (market narrative); Export consultants, potential for federal funding

5. Accelerator & Export Admin

$20,000 (accelerator)

$35,000 (admin)

Aligns with Trade Delegation and Governance pilots; aligns with policy and certification
discussions

6. Appellation Strategy

$10,000 (strategy only)

$40,000 (incl. pilot)

Connects with Quality Badge (standards), Government Engagement, Trail (regional
identity); requires legal, academic input

7. Formalize Team Kootenay

$8,000

$12,000

Governance backbone for all pilots, and especially Badge, Trail, Appellation; needed for
regional identity, grants, IP; partner with legal and governance advisors

8. Policy Toolkit & Gov’t Engagement

$10,000

$20,000

Intersects with Badge (credibility), Appellation (legal framework), Storytelling (reframing
narratives), supports Trade Delegations by boosting national image

9. Budtender & Retail Education

$10,000

$20,000

Enhance Trail (visitor knowledge), Badge (trust in product), and Storytelling (brand
literacy) & translates into front line support; Selkirk, retailers, producers

10. Sharing & Digital Hub

$10,000

$35,000

Central platform for all pilots; for internal communications and outward marketing

Budget Allocation Task
Your task: Imagine you have $100,000 to invest in
advancing the Kootenay cannabis sector. You’ll allocate
this across 10 potential pilot projects based on what you
believe will have the greatest impact.

Why This Matters - This exercise helps us:
•

See what each individual values most

•

Identify consensus or divergence across the group

You have two steps:

•

Prioritize pilots for further development and funding

1.

Rank the potential projects from 1 (top priority) to 10
(lowest priority)

•

Develop a data-driven collective roadmap

2.

Allocate your $100,000 to the potential projects
o

You can allocate it all to one project or spread it
across several

o

Totals must equal $100,000

Who should have a say? - We’re still deciding:
•

We think pilot prioritization should be limited to licensed
producers and processors – let us know if you feel differently

•

We plan to allow online/remote prioritization for those unable
to attend in person. What do you think?

Next Steps
1. Identify regional pilot priorities
2. Incorporate today’s feedback into selected pilot descriptions
3. Share selected pilots with potential timelines, KPIs, costs
• Email correspondence

4. Potential Action Plan co-development (third breakfast meeting?)
• Key tasks and participatory needs
• Proposed for Wednesday June 25th or Friday July 4th

5. Execute top priorities
• Hire additional team members (short term contracts)
• Monitor KPIs, enable feedback loops, report on progress quarterly