The Charter of the French language and its regulations govern the consultation of English-language content.
The Charter of the French language and its regulations govern the consultation of English-language content.
.png "A budding industry pioneered by our producers")
5 years ago, the SQDC came to life. And we've built our success together from the ground up.
As we mark our 5th anniversary, we're shining a spotlight on our pioneers, who have been with us since the very beginning, as well as on those who make the difference every day to better accomplish our mission.
In five years, our world has grown, as has that of our producers. Learn about the enthusiasm that drove producers when cannabis was legalized in Québec and about the trusting relationships, we’ve built together from day one.
Launching a new company is hard enough but doing it in an industry where everything had to be built from scratch were among the major challenges producers faced in the run-up to cannabis legalization.
Valentine Vaillant and Brian Stevenson, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at ROSE LifeScience, told us how their team reacted when legalization was announced:
“Our people responded to the long-awaited announcement with joy and excitement. They also expressed their conviction that we were fully capable of doing it right.”
(ROSE immediately began taking its first steps in the industry. Photo: The start of construction of the ROSE LifeScience growing facility)
“Our first visit to the site – in 2019, before construction began, when the site was just a vacant lot – remains a vivid memory for many of us. Another unforgettable day was when the first seedlings arrived at our growing facility.”
A top priority for producers and the SQDC alike was to build relationships based on trust and proximity.
“Real collaboration between our teams, a shared sense of having the opportunity and good fortune to be building something brand new, the chance to make a difference: that’s what united us. Even today, it’s encouraging and even touching to see that most of the people we started working with in 2019 are still at the SQDC!”
The PurCann Pharma team also took the time to share some memories of the company’s early days:
“The entire team was super excited and enthusiastic as legalization approached. We saw it as an opportunity to bring our knowledge and pharmaceutical discipline to a new industry. Since Québec has its own set of regulations, working in this market meant we had to set up a special, carefully considered structure. We’re grateful that our Québec client, with its multidisciplinary expertise, supported our business activities from the outset. Today, the product offer is significantly bigger and consumers are better informed than ever. And we’re still just at the start of this long process.”
Hugo St-Laurent, President, Raif Kadri, VP Global Sales, and Sonia Isabel, VP Commercialization, at PurCann Pharma.
(The first harvest at the PurCann Pharma factory in Québec City)
Yan Lévesque, Director of Sales at Aurora, tells us about his company’s long history of collaboration with the SQDC:
“We’re one of the producers the SQDC decided to work with early on, which led us to choose Québec as our priority market. At first there were only six producers and demand were enormous, so we had to work hard to be able to ship enough product from day one. The partnership with the SQDC has always been a collaborative one. From the very first meetings, the goal was to forge solid ties based on trust and transparency that would foster the healthy growth of the Québec ecosystem.”
The SQDC is proud to have built and maintained trusting relationships with its producer partners, with which it shares a common goal: to play a role in building a responsible cannabis industry, the better to encourage responsible use.
Five years ago, our people sprouted.
Over five years, our people grew.
After five years, our people are flourishing.
.png?mw=380&mh=254&sh=6758a "Three Flourishing Portraits at the SQDC")
Over the last five years, our people have grown. Learn how three members of our big family have flourished and excelled and are working every day to achieve their full potential.
.png?mw=380&mh=254&sh=df620 "SQDC.ca celebrates its fifth anniversary")
Five years ago, our people sprouted. Today, you can see how they’re flourishing. Yannick Poulin, our Digital Strategy Specialist, dives back into SQDC’s evolving ambitions for its web platform.
.png?mw=380&mh=254&sh=7dde1 "Blooming together for the past 5 years")
A five-year milestone is certainly cause for celebration. Take a look at the growth of SQDC.