Howard Alexander
Assistant Editor Howard Alexander comes to iNFOnews.ca from the broadcasting side of the media business.
Howard has been a reporter, news anchor, talk show host and news director, first in Saskatchewan and then the Okanagan.
He moved his family to Vernon in the 90s and is proud to call the Okanagan home.
If you have an event to share contact Howard at 250-309-5343or email halexander@infonews.ca.
Aurora Cannabis buys controlling stake in Bevo Agtech
EDMONTON – Aurora Cannabis Inc. has signed a deal to buy a controlling interest in Bevo Agtech Inc., a supplier of vegetable seedlings and flowers. Under the deal, the cannabis company will acquire a 50.1 per cent stake in Bevo…
Ottawa has lost control of $150M program reimbursing veterans’ cannabis: audit
OTTAWA – An internal audit by Veterans Affairs Canada suggests Ottawa has all but lost control as it shells out hundreds of millions of dollars for veterans' medical marijuana each year without proper oversight, direction or evidence of health benefits.…
‘Wild West’: Audit on veterans’ medical cannabis sparks calls for oversight, research
OTTAWA – Mental-health providers and others are reacting with shock and concern after an internal government audit uncovered significant problems with Ottawa's administration of hundreds of millions of dollars in medical marijuana for veterans. The audit results are also spurring…
As midterms approach, Capitol Hill lawmakers push banking reforms for legal cannabis
WASHINGTON – Retailers, industry activists and U.S. lawmakers are making one last push to ease federal financing restrictions on America's burgeoning cannabis industry before midterm elections that could reshape the political landscape on Capitol Hill. Members of the National Cannabis…
B.C. strike and cyberattack impacting OCS could cause $3M revenue hit for Aurora: CEO
Aurora Cannabis Inc. says it could take a revenue hit of up to $3 million because of a cyberattack that downed Ontario's pot distributor and a strike that halted deliveries to B.C. marijuana stores. Glen Ibbott, the Edmonton-based cannabis company's…
Pot sector wants packaging changes, financial relief from Cannabis Act review
TORONTO – Canada’s cannabis industry is hoping a newly launched review of the legislation that paved the way for the recreational use and sale of pot will help the sector stave off more financial difficulties. The statutory review launched Thursday…
How is cannabis legalization going? Feds launch overdue review to find out
OTTAWA – The federal government launched a long-awaited review on Thursday of how legalizing marijuana has affected the health of Canadians, the domestic cannabis industry and the black market. The Liberals lifted a century-long prohibition on the recreational use and…
Lawsuit: California utility targeted Asians in pot searches
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Extraordinary use of electricity has long been a telltale sign of illegal grow houses producing thousands of marijuana plants hidden in seemingly ordinary homes. But a lawsuit filed by a data privacy watchdog says a Northern…
Canopy Growth to sell Tweed, Tokyo Smoke stores to OEGRC and Four20 owner
Canopy Growth Corp. is getting out of the cannabis retail business with two deals to divest its Tweed and Tokyo Smoke stores. The Smiths Falls, Ont. cannabis company announced Tuesday that it sold all of its stores outside Alberta, as…
Front companies being used to launder illicit cannabis cash: intelligence agency
OTTAWA – Canada’s financial intelligence agency says a wide range of businesses — from food wholesalers to electronics repair services — are being used to disguise the proceeds of illicit cannabis operations. In a new operational alert, the Financial Transactions…
Medical marijuana committee reports support in Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — An advisory committee set up this year by Gov. Andy Beshear reported that many Kentucky adults favour legalizing medical marijuana, Beshear's office said Friday. The Democratic governor formed the Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee after a bill…
Biden offers pardons for pot possession, signals deeper reform for U.S. cannabis laws
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is pardoning people convicted under federal law of possessing marijuana — and signalling that he's willing to revisit whether cannabis should remain a controlled substance in the United States. In a pre-recorded video released unexpectedly…
Former CannTrust leaders plead not guilty to securities offences
TORONTO – Three former CannTrust Holdings Inc. leaders have pleaded not guilty to quasi-criminal charges related to thousands of kilograms of cannabis found growing in unlicensed rooms operated by the company. Peter Aceto, Eric Paul and Mark Litwin, the pot…
Tough ruling against former cannabis execs could send message: experts
TORONTO – Industry observers say cannabis companies' future regulatory compliance is at stake as a case against three former leaders of CannTrust Holdings Inc. begins. Charges were first laid by the Ontario Securities Commission in June 2021, about three years…
Uber Eats to process cannabis deliveries in Toronto through new Leafly partnership
Toronto cannabis shoppers will be able to request cannabis deliveries through Uber Eats starting Monday. The food delivery platform owned by U.S. tech giant Uber Technologies Inc. announced a partnership with online marijuana marketplace Leafly on Sunday that will see…