By Scott Roblin

Plenty of interest from prospective Aurora Sun employees at trade show

Oct 28, 2018 | 7:41 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Aurora Cannabis was front and centre at the 2018 Great West Home and Leisure Show over the weekend, as the marijuana giant continues its hiring push.

The Aurora Cannabis tent was one of the busiest businesses over the three-day event, with a steady stream of prospective workers either asking questions about the facility or picking up applications.

One of those prospective employees was Lorraine Crowder, who spent roughly 10 minutes getting to know the operation and what Aurora has planned for when they officially open in 2019.

A user of cannabidiol oil to treat a previous case of Lyme disease, Crowder said she would jump at the opportunity to work for the local facility.

“I absolutely would,” said Crowder. “I’m not into getting high, I’m not really big on that in any way, shape, or form. But, I am on the medicinal because I had Lyme disease and I was in bed for a long time, it had destroyed me.”

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Aurora is expecting to hire around 100 people between now and May for administrative positions, with a further 350 positions to be filled in the following months for marijuana harvesting and production.

Crowder said her hope is to be used in a role such as security, but would simply like the chance to grow her career with Aurora.

“I’m a little older, like I’m going to be 65 here next year,” she said. “But, I’m still very healthy compared to before I took CBD oil for the Lyme [disease]. And, I would love to go to work, whether it be security or whatever they have that I’d be able to do.”

Four postings on the Aurora website for Medicine Hat include project coordinator, facility maintenance manager, general manager of facilities, and project accountant.

However, a number of people over the weekend passing by the Aurora tent were looking to fill trades positions such as construction, plumbing, and electrical work.

Crowder added it’s a good sign to see so many jobs being offered well in advance of the facility opening and expects even more careers to open up in the future.

“This is really good because we’re going to know what we’re getting, it’s going to be standardized,” she said. “It’s going to create a lot of jobs over the years, because I can only see it getting bigger than what they’re calling for.”

The 1.2 million square foot facility will become Medicine Hat’s single largest private employer once production begins.