Cannabis job fair 'overwhelmed' by applicants in Kitchener

Resumes in hand, hundreds of people turned up Tuesday to a job fair hosted by the Kitchener-based cannabis company James E. Wagner Cultivation (JWC).

The company is hiring between 40 and 50 people at its facility on Manitou Drive. Some of the jobs up for grabs include positions in cannabis growing, trimming and equipment manufacturing.

"I don't think we were ready for the amount of people that came actually," said human resources manager Barb Partridge.

Job-seeker Paula Sharpe was among those who attended the fair. Sharpe has worked at a wide variety of jobs in her careerand said she's ready to try her hand at something new.

"You need to get in with a growing company, you can't be with the old timers that are slowing down and shutting down," said Sharpe, 51.

JWC has gone through a period of rapid expansion inthe last year, Partridge said.

Since last summer, she said it's grown from 40 to 150 people. About 75 of those hires were added in the last six months.

Ultimately, Partridge said they hope to expand to 400 people.

"We're here for the long haul," she said.