The Watch
LATITUDE
DRIVERLESS TECHNOLOGY MAKES ALBERTA INROADS
Created by French company EasyMile, Ela has carried several hundred thousand people at 170 locations worldwide—without a single safety- threatening incident. The shuttle, which has an emergency stop button but no steering wheel, operates using lidar. (Lidar is a surveying technology that uses pulsed laser technology—the word was originally a portmanteau of light and radar, but it’s since been back-defined to stand for light detection and ranging, or sometimes light imaging, detection, and ranging.) Ela relies on a series of 3D sensors to continually compose a 3D map and monitor the surrounding environment for potential collision risks. It’s no fluke that First Nations sites are on the horizon for RavenQuest. A publicly traded company, RavenQuest says on its website that it plans to partner often with indigenous peoples. Why Alberta? One reason, the company’s CEO George Robinson notes, is that Alberta’s economic situation has freed up skilled oilpatch workers with the experience RavenQuest needs to build high-end facilities. The company also promises to be heavy on science and environmental responsibility. Mr. Robinson says: “We believe the real story here is sustainability. Canadian companies are going to be growing a lot of cannabis. With this kind of scale, it’s important we conduct ourselves responsibly and care for the environment.” He continues: “RavenQuest believes strongly in the science of the plant and believes strongly in environmental stewardship. We believe our patients and clients want to see this kind of social responsibility in the products and brands they consume.”
This fall, Albertans and visitors to the province will be among the first in the country to try out autonomous vehicle technology. A 12-passenger driverless shuttle called Ela is being piloted by Pacific Western
Transportation in Calgary and Edmonton, at locations segregated from pedestrian and other traffic. Edmonton’s test section
remained undetermined at deadline, but in Calgary, the shuttle will run on a service road between TELUS Spark and the Calgary Zoo.
IN-THE-ROUND PLAYER IS PART OF THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN ALBERTA Vancouver-based RavenQuest BioMed is launching a cannabis production facility in northwest
Edmonton—and it’s eyeing other opportunities in the province. In the 35,500-sq.-ft. Edmonton facility, the company is increasing growing space and efficiency by replacing traditional flat tables with its Orbital Garden technology. The strategy features drum-like pieces of equipment, stacked and hollow, to produce a higher yield of crop with reduced use of electricity, water, and nutrients. The $14-million facility, expected to be fully operational by November, will be able to rake in $48 million annually while producing 7,000 kg of cannabis. A second stage, when its built, will double capacity. RavenQuest is also planning a much larger version of its high-tech approach at the Fort McMurray Nation—a 250,000-sq.-ft. facility expected to produce a whopping 50,000 kg of cannabis annually. It’s also signed a deal for a more modest, 24,000-sq.-ft. operation at Alexander First Nation, just northwest of Edmonton.
32 | PEG FALL 2018
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