Liverpool, NS-based Aqualitas is on track to be the third licensed producer of medical cannabis in Nova Scotia after receiving Health Canada’s approval to cultivate the crop.

The new licence is in line with Health Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. Currently, there are 89 Health Canada approved producers of cannabis across Canada, 48 of which are in Ontario. Aqualitas makes three for Nova Scotia.

Aqualitis Co-Founder and CEO Mryna Gillis said in a statement that Aqualitas stands out against its competition because of its use of aquaponic cultivation. 

“We’re particularly proud of how we’ve been able to combine scientific research with our commitment to growing quality cannabis,” said Gillis in a statement last week.  

“Our outstanding team of scientists, business professionals and creative thinkers has made Aqualitas a disruptor in this industry.”

Another noteworthy part of Aqualitas is its research and development subsidiary, Finleaf Technologies. The R&D team is finding solutions to problems common to aquaponic cultivation, a method in aquaculture that harnesses the symbiotic relationship between fish and hydroponically grown plants.

Cultivating cannabis using aquaponics can be tricky since plants that flower or produce fruit need higher amounts of potassium or phosphorus. Finleaf is developing proprietary nutrient recipes that will give the plant the right amount of extra nutrients, without harming the fish.

Finleaf, which operates out of a lab at Acadia University, was accepted into Innovacorp’s Cleantech accelerator program and also took home $25,000 at the Spark West competition. The subsidiary’s traction attracted investors to Aqualitas, which recently closed a round of funding totalling $8.8 million.

“Myrna and her team have excelled in their execution,"said Matt Shalhoub of Toronto-based Green Acre Capital, one of the investors. "We're thrilled to support this strong and passionate team as they create such a positive impact in their local market. This investment stretches our ecosystem of investments from coast to coast, and we look forward to continuing to be a part of the Aqualitas growth story.”

Aqualitas aims to have all-natural, aquaponics-grown cannabis ready for market by this summer.

“It’s been three years of intense work, propelled by our passionate and committed team, to reach this stage,” said Gillis. “We’re excited about the company’s future and what this new industry is bringing to Nova Scotia’s beautiful south shore.”