Position Papers

C3 is calling for urgent changes to the excise tax and stamp framework: Set the tax rate at 10% of the producer's selling price, and shift from provincial stamps to one national stamp. Click below to read our statements.

Excise Duty
Excise Stamp

Program

1:00pm

Opening Remarks

Introduction from Paul McCarthy, President of C3.

1:10pm

Excise Duty Panel

An in-depth discussion of its impact on the industry and potential reforms with Brian Stevenson and Beena Goldenberg, moderated by Nick Taylor-Vaisey.

2:00pm

Excise Stamp Panel

Addressing the challenges and exploring solutions for compliance and efficiency with Orville Bovenschen, David Lobo and Barry Katzman, moderated by Trina Fraser.

2:40pm

Regulatory Burden

Strategies for reducing complexity in a highly regulated environment with Terry Doucet, Kendal Weber and Gillian Schauer, moderated by Tabitha Davis.

3:30pm

A Physician-Mother’s Insight into Cannabis, Cost, and Care

Dr. Jennifer Anderson shares her experience with the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, as a doctor and parent.

4:10pm

Standard THC Unit

Quantifying cannabis in a way that allows us to better inform people about consumption with Robert Gabrys, Dr. Stephanie Lunn and Dr. Mark Ware.

5:00pm

Closing Remarks

A final word from Tamara Lovi, Chair of the Cannabis Council board.

Networking Reception

Resources

Speakers

Paul McCarthy, President, Cannabis Council of Canada

Paul has over 20 years of experience in the public sector which spans over eight federal portfolios. This time was split equally between being a public servant and as a senior political advisor - giving him an intimate understanding of how government works. His career has been characterized by policy development through stakeholder engagement on a range of public policy issues. He also has extensive negotiation and agreement management experience and has been recognized for outstanding public service for managing the British Columbia component of the Infrastructure Stimulus program. Paul currently serves as Vice Chair of Team Rubicon Canada, a veteran-led charitable organization who mobilize responses to natural disasters and humanitarian crises,helping those who have been displaced by these events.

Brian D. Stevenson, COO, ROSE Lifescience

As a ROSE co-founder, Brian has worked for nearly 25 years in highly regulated and excise tax bearing FMCG - including the Tobacco, Pharmaceutical and Cannabis industries. He spent a large part of his career developing the Global Marketing function for British American Tobacco, where he led multi-billion dollar Product and Brand portfolios across Canada, the Americas and Europe. Starting from the very early days as a privately held start-up, Brian has led the buildout of ROSE’s Manufacturing, Distribution and own product portfolios - with ROSE now the largest cannabis company in Quebec, and one of the largest across Canada.

Beena Goldenberg, CEO, Organigram

An accomplished and proven business leader, Ms. Goldenberg has more than 30 years of experience in consumer-packaged goods manufacturing and marketing. In April 2020, Ms. Goldenberg moved over to the cannabis industry as President and CEO of The Supreme Cannabis Company Inc., where she achieved significant growth in the first year of her tenure through a focus on distribution, innovation, and brand portfolio development. In September 2021, Ms. Goldenberg took over at the helm of Organigram as Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Goldenberg also served as Chief Executive Officer, President and General Manager at Hain-Celestial Canada, ULC where, among other notable accomplishments, she led the strategic growth of the company. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Engineering (Chemical) from McGill University.

Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Reporter, POLITICO Canada

Nick Taylor-Vaisey covers Canadian federal politics for POLITICO in Ottawa. He’s written breaking news, long features and morning newsletters — all in the pursuit of helping readers understand government policy and the politics that drives it behind the scenes. He comes to POLITICO from Maclean’s magazine, and has bounced between Toronto and Ottawa for his entire adult life. He served a three-year stint as president of the Canadian Association of Journalists from 2015-2018.

Orville Bovenschen, President, Pure Sunfarms

Orville Bovenschen is the President of Pure Sunfarms, where he is dedicated to driving growth, operational excellence, and a culture of accountability. With more than 15 years of experience in finance and operations, Orville transitioned from managing large-scale construction projects to senior roles in the cannabis industry. His expertise in optimizing production processes, spearheading innovation, and launching new products has propelled Pure Sunfarms to a leading position in the market. Orville’s leadership is marked by his commitment to fostering collaboration and transparency, ensuring the company continues to thrive while staying true to its cultivation roots. He holds a Bachelor and a Master of Business Administration from Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands.

David Lobo, President & CEO, Ontario Cannabis Store

David Lobo is the President and CEO of the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), overseeing all operations. He has been with OCS since its inception in 2017, previously working on the legal cannabis model at the Ministry of Finance. David has held key roles at OCS, including Chief Merchandising Officer and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. He brings experience from his time with the AGCO and Ontario Government. David holds a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University.

Barry Katzman, Managing Director, Peak Processing

Barry Katzman is an accomplished senior executive and entrepreneur with a strong background in beverage alcohol and in the cannabis sector. After a stint at Molson Breweries, Mr. Katzman entered the Canadian Wine Industry. In a 15-year span Mr. Katzman helped pioneer the entire sector as President and part owner of 6 different wineries. Mr. Katzman is a senior advisor and Board Member of several companies and a 12-year member of the Wine Counsel Board of Directors. Mr. Katzman was a founder of Tidal Health and prior to taking over stewardship of Peak Processing, was Executive Chairman of Terrafarma Inc and Thrive Cannabis where Mr. Katzman led the deal team in their integrated sale and Amalgamation with Aurora Cannabis for $68 million. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Niagara University in New York.

Trina Fraser, Partner at Brazeau Seller Law

Trina Fraser, partner at Brazeau Seller Law, is an effective problem solver and trusted advisor to her clients. While having a broad business law background, Trina’s area of expertise is cannabis law. As head of BSL’s CannaLaw® group, Trina has emerged as a leading practitioner in cannabis law in Canada and is often called upon for comment and opinion. Since 2019, the Chambers Canada guide has ranked Trina as a Band 1 lawyer in Cannabis Law. In each year since 2020, she has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers™ in Canada in the field of Cannabis Law. Trina was named Cannabis Lawyer of the Year at the 2024 GrowUp Industry Awards Gala and Attorney of the Year at the 2019 O’Cannabiz Industry Awards Gala. In 2019, she was named by Canadian Lawyer Magazine as one of the Top 25 Most Influential lawyers in Canada.

Terry Doucet, General Counsel, Cronos Group

Terry Doucet is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Cronos Group. In this capacity, he manages all legal and regulatory affairs at Cronos and serves as its corporate secretary. Terry has been with Cronos since 2018 and has helped guide Cronos through significant growth. He has a proven track record of leading highly effective teams with understanding, collaboration, and creativity. Prior to joining Cronos, Terry was a corporate lawyer at the law firm Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP in Toronto. Terry is an Ontario-qualified lawyer, holding a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto and a joint honors (first-class) Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University in Montreal.

Kendal Weber, Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada

Kendal Weber, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch at Health Canada, overseeing harm reduction for controlled drugs. Previously, she was Assistant Deputy Minister of Strategic Policy, leading health system policies and the COVID-19 Task Force. She has also held key roles advancing health product and food regulations at Health Canada. Kendal's prior experience includes positions at the Privy Council Office and the Treasury Board Secretariat. She holds a BA from Western University and an MPA from Queen’s University.

Gillian Schauer, Executive Director, US Cannabis Regulators Association

Gillian Schauer, PhD, MPH is the Executive Director of the Cannabis Regulators Association. Dr. Schauer was elected CANNRA’s first Executive Director in 2021, and served as a Senior Advisor to CANNRA before the association’s founding. Dr. Schauer has worked in public health and drug policy for two decades, and has more than a decade of experience working with U.S. federal and state agencies on cannabis policy, data monitoring, and research translation. Prior to working on cannabis policy, Dr. Schauer worked with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on tobacco control policy. She was the Senior Editor on the 2020 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking Cessation. She has a PhD from Emory University, a Master of Public Health from University of Washington, and a Bachelors of Science from Northwestern University.

Tabitha Davis. Director of Regulatory & Government Affairs, SNDL

Tabitha Davis joined SNDL in January 2020 as the Compliance Manager and has since held roles in Regulatory, Compliance, and Scientific Affairs, including a stint as QAP. In her current position as the Director of Regulatory and Government Relations, Tabitha is responsible for developing and executing the regulatory strategy. She engages with policymakers, regulators, and industry partners while leading initiatives to support the evolution of regulatory frameworks. Tabitha exudes a deep passion for the regulated products industry and its influence on the broader landscape of public health policy. Tabitha’s previous experience includes six years in pharmaceutical and NHP compliance. She worked for Nature’s Bounty/Vita Health (now part of Nestle), a consumer health products company, where her focus was primarily on product stability and compliance auditing.

Dr. Jennifer Anderson

Dr. Anderson is a mom and a physician. She entered the cannabis space in 2016 when her 3 yr old son had failed everything for intractable epilepsy. After just a few days the results were dramatic and she now has a specialized cannabinoid practice which is one of the largest in the world looking after patients of all ages collaboratively with physicians in Manitoba. Her son is thriving and has been on cannabinoids for 8 yrs beating all odds. She now devotes a considerable amount of time advocating and educating in Industry and Health Care to give patients this option.

Robert Gabrys (PhD), Senior Research and Policy Analyst, Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction

Robert Gabrys, PhD is a Senior Research and Policy Analyst at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), where his work centers on evaluating the impacts of cannabis legalization in Canada. He is also an adjunct research professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University, where his research explores the connections between stress, cannabis use, and mental health.

Stephanie Lunn (PhD), Director of Medical Affairs, Aurora

Dr. Stephanie Lunn is Aurora’s Director of Medical Affairs, overseeing Aurora’s medical research portfolio and Clinic Relations team, which manages Aurora’s clinic partners and patient outreach activities. Her work also involves supporting numerous departments across the business with scientific evidence to support business decisions and initiatives. Stephanie joined Aurora shortly after graduating with her PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Alberta in May 2018. Her graduate research focused on vascular physiology and pharmacology, where she investigated different compounds as novel therapies for restoring arterial function in cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and diabetes. She also holds a Bachelor of Science, with Specialization in Pharmacology from the University of Alberta.

Dr. Mark Ware, Director, Allan Edwards Pain Management Unit

Dr. Mark Ware is a family physician who has worked in clinical pain medicine since 2001. He is an associate professor of Family Medicine and holds the Alan Edwards Chair in Clinical Pain at McGill University. He also serves as Director of the interdisciplinary Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit at the Montreal General Hospital.

Tamara Lovi, Chair of the Cannabis Council board

Tamara is a seasoned health & beauty commercial leader. She has worked with Global leading consumer goods organizations such as Proctor & Gamble, Abbott Nutrition, Sanofi Consumer Healthcare. More recently she worked at Merck Canada (Pharmaceuticals) in the role of VP Executive Director for the Digital Commercial Operations group. In January 2022, Tamara joined ROSE LifeScience (Recreational Cannabis) as Chief Business Officer. In 2022, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Cannabis Council of Canada, where she became Treasurer to the Board in 2023. Tamara has a Bachelors in HR/Organizational behavior from McGill (where she graduated with honors), an MBA in Marketing from HEC Montreal and a Digital Strategy Certificate from OxFord University.