A cannabis company that has a large-scale greenhouse on 64th Street in East Ladner is suing its former CEO over his luxury apartment the company contends it was paying the rent without knowledge or consent.
In a civil suit filed Aug. 25 at BC Supreme Court, Agra Ventures Ltd. claims Brandon Boddy arranged for the company to pay for his suite at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, starting in September 2019 and for over a year after he left the company in March 2021.
The company claims the monthly rent, arranged without approval of the board, was initially $7,995 per month but then increased to $8,114 per month.
Agra Ventures Ltd. partnered with Houweling Nurseries to create the Delta venture called Boundary Bay Cannabis.
Meanwhile, Agra Ventures Ltd. new CEO and Chairman David Grand recently toured their Delta greenhouse complex as part of his initial assessment of the company’s operations.
In an update to investors, he said he would be announcing his plans for the company over the coming weeks.
Grand assumed the position of CEO on July 1, 2022, after Elise Coppens stepped down from the role. In mid-July, he also assumed the roles of director and chair of the board following the resignation of Coppens from those roles as well.
Coppens had taken over as CEO in March 2021 after it was announced Boddy had "amicably agreed to depart" the company, which was named AgraFlora Organics International at the time.
At another large-scale cannabis operation in East Delta, Pure Sunfarms last week announced that it has extended its research partnership with Simon Fraser University (SFU).
Owned by Village Farms International, Pure Sunfarms, which has two large-scale side-by-side greenhouses on 80th Street, noted a team of students from SFU will continue to have access to the grow facility and cultivation experts to advance plant health research over the next three years.
Since the partnership began in 2018, SFU researchers and the Pure Sunfarms cultivation team have identified pathogens that affect the cultivation of greenhouse-grown cannabis, findings that have led to the development of cutting-edge biological, cultural and environmental control strategies, a news release notes.
The research is setting new scientific standards, said SFU biology professor Zamir Punja, noting such an opportunity is unparalleled anywhere in the cannabis industry.
Mandesh Dosanjh, President and CEO of Pure Sunfarms, said they believe in supporting academics to learn more about the cannabis plant and what keeps it healthy.
The project has received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Alliance Program.
Elsewhere in East Ladner, Rubicon Organics, which operates a cannabis greenhouse on 104th Street, recently announced that Jesse McConnell, co-founder and CEO, has given his notice of resignation as CEO.
McConnell is currently on parental leave and his resignation is anticipated to become effective on Dec. 31, 2022.
The company in a news release notes that the board of directors will immediately begin a search for a successor.
