Megan Houde is one Cochranite who has seen the potential in the booming legal cannabis business and has lit into the budding industry. From describing delectable cocktails and cuisine du jour to patrons at Olive R ‘Twist – the popular, local bistro that Houde owned and operated for 10 years with husband Vince, which closed last year in the face of an economic downturn – Houde is now educating adults on cannabinoid terpine profiles (the composition of different strains). Houde will be the manager of the soon-to-open NewLeaf Cannabis retail store in Varsity in the N.W. of Calgary – the cannabis company with 24 locations across the province at various stages of build-out and approvals, including three stores open for business and five more approved and awaiting product; all locations should be open by early 2019. Cannabis headlines as of late have been riddled with product shortage across the nation, including most stores in Alberta. Retail stores have not been able to keep pace with demand, with an apparent shortage from legal growers – which speaks to the popularity of legalization since it began on Oct. 17. “NewLeaf is really focused on educating customers and they really want to give back to the community,” said the 1998 Cochrane High grad, who also has a business entrepreneurship degree from Mount Royal. “NewLeaf is really focused on educating customers and they really want to give back to the community,” said the 1998 Cochrane High grad, who also has a business entrepreneurship degree from Mount Royal. “I’m excited to start changing perspective around the cannabis industry,” she said adding that she will have 13 staff at her location, which is slated to open sometime in November. As she and her staff ready to open the store, they have undertaken community-wide garbage clean-ups as part of their local outreach. “Recent delays in some store openings meant we had employees on payroll that didn’t have a lot to do while they wait for products. So, we decided to send them out into the community to pick up garbage and help make the city a little better to live in - just like we will when we open our stores,” explained NewLeaf marketing director Chad Hason. Houde’s is a story that stems from personal experience. It was only three years ago that Houde was in a car accident that resulted in chronic and unbearable back pain from a slipped disc, all while she was working full-time in her restaurant as a server – a difficult job to do with a severe back injury. For the next two years, Houde lived with chronic pain. Pharmaceuticals were what doctors first had Houde on for pain management – which she hated and quickly sought to minimize her intake of. “I couldn’t even count cards while I was playing crib with my dad ... I got my (medical cannabis) prescription and that’s what made it bearable for me to work until we sold the restaurant,” said Houde, who said her pain was often debilitating and was also difficult on her mental health and ability to focus. Once taking prescriptive CBD oil, Houde was able to cut down on pharmaceuticals. Fast forward two years later, Houde was completely off pharmaceuticals two-days after her January 2018 back surgery. She continues to regularly take her CBD oil. “As we came to a close with the restaurant, I just thought about the benefits I had from cannabis and just thought it was an industry I wanted to be in,” said Houde, who spent last winter taking online cannabis education certificates in career training and marketing from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. While she tinkered with the idea of opening up her own store, Houde decided it would be better to be part of a team with a shared dream and welcomed the job opportunity to manage the boutique-style store for NewLeaf Cannabis. As she marvels over leaving the restaurant industry, arguably one of the most hard-hit in the economic downturn, to venture down a trending corporate path, Houde is excited about what the future holds. “I miss the customers ... but it was time to move on,” she said, adding that she hopes to see some familiar faces looking to look more about recreational cannabis and how the laboratory-grown plant and its derivatives may or may not work for them – including methods of ingestion such as vaping or smoking, capsules or oils “Our name speaks to turning over a new leaf in the area of cannabis perception, and we are strong supporters and disseminators of a new, responsible narrative surrounding cannabis and its rightful place in Canada’s mainstream,” said Hason. “To ensure this narrative is above reproach, we take the rules around advertising very seriously, and err on the side of conservative execution wherever there is perceived grey areas in law interpretation.” Visit newleafcannabis.ca to learn more.
