OPP discover massive marijuana grow-op in Midland

The Southern Georgian Bay OPP busted a massive cannabis grow operation in Midland on Sept. 28.

Officers received a call from a concerned citizen who observed suspicious activity at an industrial building on Highway 12. Local officers, along with members of the OPP’s organized crime enforcement unit, executed a search warrant at 16567 Highway 12 at around 6 p.m. Monday.

“They discovered a substantial grow operation of cannabis plants. Over 10,000 cannabis plants were located,” said OPP Const. Aaron Coulter of the Southern Georgian Bay OPP.

Officers discovered what appeared to be a professional, high-quality grow-op in the process of growing more than 10,000 plants in various stages of development. Police believe that a harvest of the plants had not been completed or that any distribution had taken place.

“The investigation is continuing in terms of who owns the building and whether the owners were aware of what was occurring inside,” said Coulter.

The commercial building at 16567 Highway 12 sits across from Weber Manufacturing. Forte EPS Solutions Inc, an expanded polystyrene manufacturer, was the last to operate out of the facility. At the time of the search warrant being executed the building was vacant.

“It was a Styrofoam factory but it has been out of use for roughly a year,” said Coulter. “It appears as though a grow operation was installed sometime recently and production had begun.”

The 84,000-square-foot building, which sits on 6.36-acres adjacent Highway 12, was also once home to Bruin Engineered Parts until the company closed up shop in 2007.

Century 21 has the building and property currently listed for $4.9 million.

Although cannabis is legal in Canada, there are still strict limits on the quantity one can possess and grow. Individual adults are allowed to possess up to 30 grams of legal cannabis and can grow up to four plants per residence for personal use. Anything more requires a federal license.

“Marijuana is available legally now. When you purchase it through legal means you can have confidence in what the ingredients are. Otherwise you can’t have that confidence in the quality or THC levels,” said Coulter. “If you are choosing to purchase marijuana we encourage you to do so through the proper channels.”

All of the cannabis plants were removed from the building and destroyed after samples were taken.

Anyone with information about this grow operation is asked to contact the Southern Georgian Bay OPP at or .

CORRECTION – Sept. 30, 2020. This story has been edited from a previous version. Fort EPS Solutions Inc. no longer operates out of the facility. At the time of the search warrant being executed, the building was vacant.