Good morning and welcome to the latest Quebec update where I take a look at the french language media coverage in our areas of interests. In the time since my last update, the Quebec weed scene continues to lurch forward, and things are looking bright for graphite and other mining prospects in 2018.
What’s Smokin’, Jacques?
La Presse has a nice supportive piece about a new producer, “Quebec Gold”. It’s got everything the Quebec media loves. A topic being talked about elsewhere, a whiff of the illicit, and a company with ‘Quebec’ in it’s name.
The company itself is a small micro producer, with just 4K square feet of growing space. Really, their profile is a way to leverage in some commentary on the paucity of Quebec based investors willing to risk in the sector.
More interesting to me is the reporter namecheck Hydropothecary twice in the article and gives a nice investor-friendly summary on the company as well. My conviction continues to be any winner in the Quebec cannabis market will know how to play the press-government-culture game unique to La Belle Province.
Check what they say in the piece: (Translation mine)
“Hydropothecary from Gatineau remains one of the only companies founded and operated from Quebec.”
That’s PR GOLD JERRY! Of course the author neglects to mention the prime Government Relations mover/shaker/lobbyist is a former B.C. cabinet minister – but you know, Maitres chez nous and all that.
The upshot is when it comes to Quebec Weed, THCX.V is running the table at the moment.
Next up is a TVA Nouvelles piece where the Quebec government continues to maneuver in its never ending game of Brinksmanship with Ottawa. Today’s fun is about cannabis regulation.
It boils down to the province wanting clarity before July 1. Nothing to see here, move along, business as usual. Here’s the kind of ridiculous carping going on. (Translation mine)
“I’m waiting for clarification,” said Minister Lucie Charlebois, “Will we get them before July 1st, or after July 1st,… …[Regardless] we will be ready in Quebec, because we will legalize…”
Great. I rolled out of bed to read that, so you don’t have to.
I’d really like to be a mason… masonry opens doors… to graphite.
Finally, the local north-shore (of the St. Lawrence) paper has a very excited piece about the increased investment in the Mason Graphite site located near Baie Comeau (at a little site called Lac Gueret. We have a keen interest in said site.)
The piece details the high hopes Mason has for it’s site and notes the company is increasing its investment by $34M.
It rounds out the piece by explaining how the testing and mining will be done carefully obfuscating the fact that any long term mine would be an entirely different company years from now. (Unless the price of Graphite were to spike uncontrollably cf. Oil Sands).
If you read french it’s worth a scan to see the nuance, but this is sign the north shore graphite industry is only continuing to heat up.
That’s all for today, keep your toques on, your Tourtiere warm and carry on.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I Don’t own stock in any company above, I don’t have home delivery of any papers mentioned, I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of the Communist Party. I am the night.
[You’re paying the fine. -Editor]