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Our Masters of Disruption podcast series: psychedelics, cannabis, esports and more!

The emerging industries space which include psychedelics, plant protein, esports and more, continues to rapidly expand throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by technological advancement and busy capital markets. In our 2021  podcast series “Masters of Disruption,” our host Larry Zeifman spoke with CEOs in numerous emerging industries, discussing their entrepreneurial journeys and issues they ...

Ontario tweaks Business Corporations Act, making it more business-friendly

This summer, two small but important amendments to the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) came into effect. These amendments eased restrictions on governance so that Ontario businesses can operate more efficiently, ensuring consistency with other Canadian jurisdictions.   Effective July 5, 2021, the new amendments also reduced approval thresholds for written shareholder resolutions and led to ...

Proposed legislation introduced to reform cannabis taxation in the US

On July 14, 2021, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released a discussion draft of a detailed cannabis reform bill which, if enacted, would restore the deductibility of all expenses related to cannabis businesses and institute excise taxes on such businesses, resulting in big changes to cannabis taxation. Now backed by Democratic senators Cory Broker ...

Bid to repeal Section 280E up in smoke: How the recent ruling affects American cannabis

Regulatory support will always trail behind public acceptance and one prominent example of this is the US’s outdated Internal Revenue Code Section 280E as it relates to the cannabis industry.  In a long well-publicized battle, Oakland-based Harborside Inc. (listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange and operator of a number of cannabis dispensaries) had been arguing that Section 280E is unconstitutional. This section bars state-legal cannabis companies from making use of standard business deductions other ...

Will stock option taxation changes hurt hiring?

Employers in Canada’s emerging industries like cannabis, psychedelics, and agritech are concerned about how upcoming changes to the taxation of stock options will impact their ability to recruit top talent. Traditionally, stock options are among the most enticing incentives used to attract senior talent; particularly the type of executives who are equipped to drive ...

Cannabis industry has high hopes for 2021

It’s no secret that the cannabis industry has faced some challenges since legalization. Though regulations are changing in favour of the industry’s growth, residue from past taboos and fumbled launches continue to wreak havoc on potential profits. Add to this the complications of some challenging times for markets in the wake of COVID-19 and ...

The future of Canadian cannabis

If you feel like your understanding of the Canadian cannabis market changes with the wind, you’re not alone. One year after cannabis was legalized in Canada, the regulations have changed a number of times. Particularly in Ontario, the retail strategy seems to be a moving target for producers, who are now facing an issue ...

Could Jamaica be the answer to Canada’s cannabis shortage?

Some might argue that the marijuana leaf is to Jamaica what the maple leaf is to Canada. Through centuries of history, cannabis has been woven into Jamaican culture. And since the plant was legalized for medical use in 2015, many Jamaican companies have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to grow the business sector, including ...

The Canadian cannabis industry’s new era of compliance

The Canadian cannabis industry has arrived at an impressive level of financial success following a sometimes rocky road to recreational legalization. In just a handful of years, we’ve seen the use of cannabis go from social taboo to widely accepted, and the cultivation and sale of the plant go from shady criminal pastime to ...