Who is behind $50m cannabis project?

Growing flowers of cannabis intended for the medical marijuana market are shown at OrganiGram in Moncton, N.B., on April 14, 2016. OrganiGram is the only organic marijuana grower in Canada, and the only licensed grower east of Ontario. (Ron Ward/The Canadian Press via AP) PUF Ventures is the company behind the $50 million cannabis facilty proposed for Casino. Based in Ontario, the company's management have claimed they aim to become a leading supplier of medical marijuana in Canada. They own a majority share in AAA Heidelberg, a private Ontario company that has applied for an Authorized Licensed Producers of Cannabis for Medical Purposes license from Health Canada. One of their projects, Weedbeacon, was an interactive app that tracks real-time cannabis usage where physicians can review patient intake and how certain cannabinoids have benefited their patient. Socially, it was aimed at the recreational market in the USA - allowing users to share in real-time what they're smoking, and connect them to a web of like-minded cannabis smokers. The President and CEO of PUF Ventures Derek Ivany has worked in a variety of industries, including oil and gas, uranium mining, bamboo, coffee, commercial real estate and technology. He was the founder of VapeTronix (making products such as e-cigarettes) and several of its proprietary technology platforms around medical marijuana tracking. He was the owner of several financial data and fantasy sports analysis platforms. Director Jerry Habuda has more than 35 years of expertise in law enforcement and specialised units. He served as a police officer with the Toronto Police Department, assigned to the Major Crimes Unit, the Northwest Drug Squad, the Street Violence Task Force - a special unit designed to curb gun and drug violence that was terrorising the city at the time, and the Bail Compliance Unit. Director Chris Hornung has been vice-president of Kenex Manufacturing Co. Mr. Hornung was a partner in and was responsible for several different real estate holding companies in Ontario. Director Joe Perino had a thirty year career with the Toronto Police Service. He worked with the Primary Response Unit, Criminal Investigation Bureau, Major Crimes Unit, and Drug Investigator. He was a skilled drug investigator, and attained the status of expert witness - often called upon to offer opinion evidence in several courts including the Ontario Court of Justice. He was awarded the Exemplary Service Medal and was also a Professor with the School of Community and Health Studies at Centennial College. CFO Chris Cherry has more than 14 years of corporate accounting and audit experience, having held senior-level positions for several public mining companies. Originally published here: https://www.northernstar.com.au/news/who-is-behind-50m-cannabis-project/3229003/