The Canadian Cannabis Awards (CCAs) are an annual celebration recognizing excellence and innovation in Canada’s cannabis industry. The CCAs are meant to highlight the best people, products and companies in Canadian cannabis.

Since being established in 2013, the CCAs have become the gold standard for cannabis excellence, honouring individuals and organizations committed to world-class cultivation, products and branding, retail experiences and reporting. Each year Lift & Co. has added new award categories, reflecting the evolving cannabis sector.

How do the awards work?

Nominees in categories for people, organizations, retail, cultivation, and accessories were collected via nomination submission to CanadianCannabisAwards.com between August 23 and September 20, 2019.

Then those with the greatest number of entries/nominations were shortlisted and moved to the judging round.

In the judging round, a panel of judges will deliberate based on the nominee’s achievements in the past year, their career trajectory and accomplishments in the industry. Those on the judging panels have experience and expertise in the industry, and will further deliberate based on the information provided in the nomination submissions for each nominee.

Woman in weed - Trailblazer

Introduced last year, a new category aims to highlight the achievements of female leaders.

"The people in this category have been recognized for their contributions to our industry in the past year through nomination by their peers, partners and supporters from across the industry.” Sais Cori MacPhee, Vice President of Event Marketing at Lift & Co. “After such a pivotal year in the history of legalization—Canada's first year—this is a major accomplishment and speaks to the tenacity and impact of these leaders. We launched this category last year to provide an important platform to recognize leading women in a burgeoning industry, and it's just as important to acknowledge that women and women-led businesses are shortlisted across the categories we announced this week."

This Year’s Canadian Cannabis Awards Nominees

Entrepreneur of the Year
This award recognizes the endeavours of exceptional people who create the products and services that keep our industry moving forward. The winner embodies the spirit of cannabis entrepreneurship: tenacity, creativity and leadership.

• Darren Bondar, Spiritleaf

• Angela Marks, B.C. Trimmers

• Pat McCutcheon & Keith Strachan, MediPharm Labs

• Drummond Munro, Superette

• Joshua Vera, Elevate

Womxn in Weed-Trailblazer
This award recognizes the high achievers, advocates and role models for womxn within the cannabis industry.

• Sony Gokhale, The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc.

• Mimi Lam, Superette

• Angela Marks, B.C. Trimmers

• Rebecca Phillips, 7ACRES

• Trang Trinh, TREC Brands Inc.

• Jo Vos, Leafly

Top Budtender
This individual displays a high level of passion and knowledge about the products and industry, shows a commitment to customer service and consistently displays a positive attitude.

• Jessica Cadney, Hobo, Ottawa

• Liam English, Fire & Flower Ottawa

• Ellen McKay, Superette, Ottawa

• Mona Pinette, Spiritleaf, Calgary

• Jordan Prentice, NOVA Cannabis Off Whyte, Edmonton

Top Master Grower
The backbone of the industry, these individuals excel in all phases of the growing process, setting themselves apart by demonstrating superb management characteristics, commitment to quality product and a passion for the industry.

• Kevin Anderson, Broken Coast Cannabis Ltd.

• John Barnet, Aurora Cannabis

• Leo Benne, Zenabis Global Inc.

• Melanie Carruthers, 7ACRES

• Liam McKenzie, Experion Biotechnologies Inc.

Top Retail Store—Single Location
This retail location and its team delivers unparalleled excellence for its customers. From the look and feel of the store to the buying experience — everything about this location is top notch.

• Ameri—20 Cumberland, Toronto, Ontario

• Elevate—14454 -118 St. NW, Edmonton, Alberta

• Hobo Recreational Cannabis Store—4296 Main St., Vancouver, British Columbia

• Kiaro—1316 Kingsway, Vancouver, British Columbia

• NOVA Cannabis Off Whyte—8015-104 ST. NW, Edmonton, Alberta

• Superette—1306 Wellington St., Ottawa, Ontario

Startup of the Year
This company exemplifies the qualities that define promising startups: plucky, innovative and creative. Its top-notch team identifies and solves industry problems and contributes beneficially to the cannabis sector.

• ND Supplies Inc.

• OGEN Bloom Cultivation

• Quality Green Inc.

• Superette

• TREC Brands Inc.

Winners will be announced on Nov. 8, 2019 at the Canadian Cannabis Awards Gala. There will also be a list of winners online at lift.co.