Five years after legalization, the number of Canadians using recreational cannabis keeps getting higher while the sector shows signs of burning out.
According to new research from Statistics Canada, one in five Canadians reported using cannabis in 2020 — a six per cent increase from before legalization. Output from the new cannabis industry has meanwhile been shrinking since late 2022.
Canada’s Cannabis Act legalized recreational use and sales five years ago, on Oct. 17, 2018.
“During this time, Statistics Canada has been contributing to an improved understanding of the social, health and economic impacts of this policy change,” the Statistics Canada report said.
The statistics agency says the rate of cannabis use more than doubled in the country between 1985 and 2017, when it reached 14.8 per cent of adults. By 2022, the number of adults reporting cannabis use in the past year had climbed to more than one in four Canadians, or 27 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.
“Cannabis legalization has normalized its use without doubt,” Toronto Metropolitan University lecturer and industry expert Brad Poulos told CTVNews.ca. “Much of the stigma is eliminated and many people just look at cannabis the way they do alcohol.”
Statistics Canada also noted large regional and demographic discrepancies in usage.
Despite its unofficial status as Canada’s cannabis capital, British Columbia was in third place for adult use in 2021 at 26 per cent of people, after first place Nova Scotia at 31.5 per cent and P.E.I. at 28.4 per cent. The only province where less than one in five Canadians used cannabis that year was Quebec, at 15.7 per cent.
Cannabis use in 2021 was also most common in 18- to 24-year-olds (39 per cent) and those 25 to 44 (31.2 per cent). Countering pre-legalization concerns, Statistics Canada observed no increase in use among people 15 to 17, despite increases in all other age groups.
Output from the cannabis sector meanwhile grew until peaking in November 2022, when its gross domestic product reached $11.6 billion. That has since fallen to $10.8 billion, which represents 0.5 per cent of the Canadian economy. Following legalization, many of Canada’s largest cannabis companies have shrunk their operations, while smaller players have shut down, sold off, or declared bankruptcy.
“Legal sales are growing … but there are simply too many players in most segments for the industry overall to be profitable,” Poulos from Toronto Metropolitan University explained. “We’re in a period of industry consolidation and seeing all of the things you see when that happens such as bankruptcies, restructuring and mergers.”
After a flurry of openings, the number of bricks-and-mortar pot shops now appears to be stable, according to Statistics Canada, reaching 3,332 in 2023. Those stores made $4.5 billion in sales in 2022, a year-over-year increase since legalization. More Canadians are also getting cannabis legally, with 68 per cent doing so in 2020, up from 47 per cent in 2019.
“Increased legal sales and decreased illicit sales is a big accomplishment,” Robert Schwartz, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, told CTVNews.ca. “This has also meant less of the harms associated with charging people for possession of small amounts.”
Michael DeVillaer is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural neuroscience at McMaster University who writes extensively about drug policies. With production exceeding demand, DeVillaer notes that Canada’s largest cannabis companies have never had a profitable year while losing billions in investors’ money.
“At the beginning of legalization, the cannabis industry overestimated the domestic market and was overly optimistic about the development of foreign markets,” DeVillaer told CTVNews.ca. “Small or modest gains in sales are unable to save the industry from its enormous accumulated debt.”
Statistics Canada also noted that 4.7 per cent of past-year cannabis users, or approximately 300,000 people, experienced impaired control over their cannabis use, making them at-risk for addiction. Impaired control means a strong urge for a substance and difficulty controlling use. Risk factors include being male, single, from a low-income household and starting cannabis use by age 15 or younger. Other reports have found an increase in cannabis-linked disorders and poisoning among youth since legalization.
“There is a need for warning labels and other forms of public education about the dangers of addiction, dependence, cannabis use disorder,” Schwartz from the University of Toronto said.
He would also like to see smoking phased out over health concerns.
“Unfortunately, smoking cannabis is still widely acceptable even amongst people who would never smoke cigarettes,” Schwartz said. “This is most unfortunate as cannabis smoke has over 20 known carcinogens and smoking anything damages the respiratory system.”
Dr. M-J Milloy is a research scientist at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use and an assistant professor in the University of British Columbia’s medical department.
“Despite the warnings of some experts and advocates prior to legalization, during the last five years we have not seen sharp increases in cannabis-related acute harms, for example, in THC-impaired driving, or in youth rates of cannabis use,” Milloy told CTVNews.ca. “As a substance use epidemiologist, I have seen no evidence over the last five years that legalization has led to a substantial deterioration of public health in Canada, especially relative to other far riskier substances, such as alcohol or opioids.”
Milloy says Canadians have largely been using cannabis safely for more than a century, and he questioned the accuracy of some of Statistics Canada’s data.
“Population-level measures of substance should be viewed with healthy skepticism, especially when those estimates are derived from government-run surveys of controlled substances, such as cannabis prior to legalization,” Milloy explained. “While Statistics Canada data suggests cannabis use has increased… it is plausible that legalization has led more people to admit to using cannabis now that it is no longer a crime for adults to use non-medical cannabis.”
Most job search advice is cookie-cutter. The advice you’re following is almost certainly the same advice other job seekers follow, making you just another candidate following the same script.
In today’s hyper-competitive job market, standing out is critical, a challenge most job seekers struggle with. Instead of relying on generic questions recommended by self-proclaimed career coaches, which often lead to a forgettable interview, ask unique, thought-provoking questions that’ll spark engaging conversations and leave a lasting impression.
Your level of interest in the company and the role.
Contributing to your employer’s success is essential.
You desire a cultural fit.
Here are the top four questions experts recommend candidates ask; hence, they’ve become cliché questions you should avoid asking:
“What are the key responsibilities of this position?”
Most likely, the job description answers this question. Therefore, asking this question indicates you didn’t read the job description. If you require clarification, ask, “How many outbound calls will I be required to make daily?” “What will be my monthly revenue target?”
“What does a typical day look like?”
Although it’s important to understand day-to-day expectations, this question tends to elicit vague responses and rarely leads to a deeper conversation. Don’t focus on what your day will look like; instead, focus on being clear on the results you need to deliver. Nobody I know has ever been fired for not following a “typical day.” However, I know several people who were fired for failing to meet expectations. Before accepting a job offer, ensure you’re capable of meeting the employer’s expectations.
“How would you describe the company culture?”
Asking this question screams, “I read somewhere to ask this question.” There are much better ways to research a company’s culture, such as speaking to current and former employees, reading online reviews and news articles. Furthermore, since your interviewer works for the company, they’re presumably comfortable with the culture. Do you expect your interviewer to give you the brutal truth? “Be careful of Craig; get on his bad side, and he’ll make your life miserable.” “Bob is close to retirement. I give him lots of slack, which the rest of the team needs to pick up.”
Truism: No matter how much due diligence you do, only when you start working for the employer will you experience and, therefore, know their culture firsthand.
“What opportunities are there for professional development?”
When asked this question, I immediately think the candidate cares more about gaining than contributing, a showstopper. Managing your career is your responsibility, not your employer’s.
Cliché questions don’t impress hiring managers, nor will they differentiate you from your competition. To transform your interaction with your interviewer from a Q&A session into a dynamic discussion, ask unique, insightful questions.
Here are my four go-to questions—I have many more—to accomplish this:
“Describe your management style. How will you manage me?”
This question gives your interviewer the opportunity to talk about themselves, which we all love doing. As well, being in sync with my boss is extremely important to me. The management style of who’ll be my boss is a determining factor in whether or not I’ll accept the job.
“What is the one thing I should never do that’ll piss you off and possibly damage our working relationship beyond repair?”
This question also allows me to determine whether I and my to-be boss would be in sync. Sometimes I ask, “What are your pet peeves?”
“When I join the team, what would be the most important contribution you’d want to see from me in the first six months?”
Setting myself up for failure is the last thing I want. As I mentioned, focus on the results you need to produce and timelines. How realistic are the expectations? It’s never about the question; it’s about what you want to know. It’s important to know whether you’ll be able to meet or even exceed your new boss’s expectations.
“If I wanted to sell you on an idea or suggestion, what do you need to know?”
Years ago, a candidate asked me this question. I was impressed he wasn’t looking just to put in time; he was looking for how he could be a contributing employee. Every time I ask this question, it leads to an in-depth discussion.
Other questions I’ve asked:
“What keeps you up at night?”
“If you were to leave this company, who would follow?”
“How do you handle an employee making a mistake?”
“If you were to give a Ted Talk, what topic would you talk about?”
“What are three highly valued skills at [company] that I should master to advance?”
“What are the informal expectations of the role?”
“What is one misconception people have about you [or the company]?”
Your questions reveal a great deal about your motivations, drive to make a meaningful impact on the business, and a chance to morph the questioning into a conversation. Cliché questions don’t lead to meaningful discussions, whereas unique, thought-provoking questions do and, in turn, make you memorable.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
CALGARY – Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. reported a third-quarter profit of $2.27 billion, down from $2.34 billion in the same quarter last year.
The company says the profit amounted to $1.06 per diluted share for the quarter that ended Sept. 30 compared with $1.06 per diluted share a year earlier.
Product sales totalled $10.40 billion, down from $11.76 billion in the same quarter last year.
Daily production for the quarter averaged 1,363,086 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 1,393,614 a year ago.
On an adjusted basis, Canadian Natural says it earned 97 cents per diluted share for the quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $1.30 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 90 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
CALGARY – Cenovus Energy Inc. reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year as its revenue edged lower.
The company says it earned $820 million or 42 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, down from $1.86 billion or 97 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled $14.25 billion, down from $14.58 billion in the same quarter last year.
Total upstream production in the quarter amounted to 771,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 797,000 a year earlier.
Total downstream throughput was 642,900 barrels per day compared with 664,300 in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Cenovus says its funds flow amounted to $1.05 per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from adjusted funds flow of $1.81 per diluted share a year earlier.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
