The president of the new Canadian Cannabis Chamber doesn’t have any previous marijuana experience, but that’s kind of the point. Peter Pilarski was not brought in to grow or sell cannabis, but to “round out the skill set” of the nonprofit organization’s leadership team.
“I came in to create the structure,” he says. “What we’re trying to do is bring everyone together to share and network and develop best practices.”
Pilarski says the Chamber, which was founded during the summer of 2017 and had its official “coming out” in early October, aims to be a voice for the industry in the halls of Canadian provincial, municipal and federal legislative offices.
“We want to be at the nexus of the conversation,” he says.
With a background in public relations and advocacy, Pilarski has spent most of his career handling government relations for industry associations, chambers of commerce and retail councils. In fact, he got his start working in the Alberta Legislature, before opening CIPR Communications, a public relations firm, with his wife. He has a commerce degree from the University of Alberta and an executive MBA from the University of Calgary.
Based on the Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, Pilarski says the plan is to represent the legal, recreational industry and he hopes to bring together the disparate growers, retailers, real estate agents, lawyers, accountants and other ancillary stakeholders, as well as Canada’s First Nations communities, to advocate for what is best for the entire industry.
Pilarski says the Chamber is also working on providing health and dental benefits to employers, working with insurance companies on specialized policies, working with the country’s banking industry and even with staffing companies, both domestic and international.
“It’s a fairly broad mandate,” he says, adding that the Chamber will also work on issues like safety and security, blocking youth access and how best to prevent drug-impaired driving.
Another major concern will be how to develop public trust with a system that ensures the “criminal element” is not able to exploit the cannabis industry. Pilarski says the Chamber has already been contacted by the Vancouver Board of Trade regarding its views on how best to deal with that city’s huge “gray market” and how to bring those players into the full, licensed, legal market.
Pilarski admits industry members have been a bit slow to join the Chamber. He says the fledgling organization currently has about 24 members. The Chamber is clear on its mission, but for an industry that is used to being in the shadows, it can be difficult to stand up and be counted.
“The stakes are high,” Pilarski says. “They have a lot to lose so it’s going to take a little bit of time to build that trust with us.”