High-tech housing project to share site with controversial First Nation grow op

Jorge Barrera · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 11, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A national authorities bureau is backing an experimental lodging task on the tract of a controversial, large-scale marijuana turn op successful the Haudenosaunee assemblage of Six Nations successful southwest Ontario.  

Next Generation Manufacturing Canada, a national bureau nether Industry, Science and Economic Development Canada, provided a $3.7 cardinal assistance to the Toronto-based operation steadfast Horizon Legacy for the project. 

Horizon Legacy has partnered with Six Nations designer Brian Porter and his firm Two Row Architect. 

But the project is set for a crippled of onshore shared with a caller marijuana plantation that's facing assemblage unit to unopen down. Legacy Farms has go a lightning rod for contention successful Six Nations since greenhouses began to spell up this year. Residents entity to its implicit 70 sprawling greenhouses and the changeless postulation of trucks, and are unhappy astatine the imaginable of further large-scale operation successful the community, which is astir 100 kilometres southwest of Toronto.

Horizon Legacy says the $10 million, 30-unit project volition be "the largest multi-storey Indigenous lodging development" successful the country, and be constructed with robotics. 

WATCH | Concerned astir cannabis:

Horizon Legacy CEO Nhung Nguyen told CBC News she's aware of "issues" with the location, but hopes any controversy won't overshadow the perchance cutting-edge task which, she says, could revolutionize operation successful First Nations.

"This exertion volition be, we believe, transformational for Canada," said Nguyen.

Horizon Legacy is processing the usage of a robotic arm, called Val 2.0, that acts similar a portable 3D printer, pouring retired a peculiar factual premix to physique walls and structures. The institution precocious utilized it for a row-house project successful Gananoque, Ont. 

The task successful Six Nations volition beryllium the archetypal clip the exertion volition beryllium utilized to rise load-bearing walls. If successful, the task could beryllium replicated successful different First Nations, allowing accelerated lodging operation successful a assemblage facing a labour shortage, she said. 

The operation steadfast has nary transportation to Legacy Farms, says Nguyen.

The gathering volition be called Eh ni da se, which means "new moon" successful the connection of the Cayuga, according to Horizon Legacy's website.

The Cayuga are 1 of the six nations that marque up the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which maintains a accepted governance operation abstracted from elected set councils.  

Legacy Farms is owned by Porter's lad Aaron Porter, and is licensed by the Six Nations Cannabis Commission. 

The committee was created by the elected set assembly to modulate cannabis accumulation and retail connected the reserve. The band, successful an workout of sovereignty, created its ain cannabis rules extracurricular of national and provincial laws.  

Resident Nancy Porter — a distant comparative of some men — has rallied assemblage members to unopen down Legacy Farms. The turn op, with its berm and greenhouses, mars her skyline and looms in her room window. 

"It's similar a symptom that won't spell away," she said.

She says she sees trucks rumbling by each time with turn op supplies and achromatic vans shuttling successful workers from extracurricular the territory. Its operation disrupted the land's earthy drainage, causing flooding on neighbouring properties, including her yard.  

She lone recovered retired astir the lodging task erstwhile she was informed by CBC News. 

Neither the assemblage nor the set assembly were notified of the task by Horizon Legacy oregon Brian Porter. No notification was required. 

She says the caller task besides needs to beryllium unopen down.

"What is the large deal, hiding everything?" she said. 

Several generations of Porter's nonstop household — her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents — farmed soy and wheat connected the onshore that's present the tract of the turn op and lodging project. As a kid she utilized to roam and play passim the property, she says. The turn op sits partially connected what was erstwhile her family's onshore — sold past twelvemonth by her brother. 

She says the set assembly and committee person ignored her questions and concerns. Neither the assembly nor committee responded to CBC News's requests for comment. 

"I ain't going to unrecorded different twelvemonth done this," she said. "Something's got to give."

Some assemblage members accidental the Legacy Farms contention proves the cannabis manufacture successful Six Nations is retired of control, and person raised questions astir the influx of workers from extracurricular the reserve. 

Aaron Porter says those migrant workers travel done an bureau and that he's checked to marque definite they are each legally allowed to enactment successful Canada. 

He would not supply the sanction of the agency, but says he's shared it with the Cannabis Commission. 

"I wouldn't bring criminals into a assemblage that I love," helium said.

And Brain Porter says neither development is exceptional by Six Nations standards — wherever nary zoning regulations exist. 

Community members physique what they privation connected their ain lands, helium says. 

"I've got tons of friends that had large views of earthy areas and past idiosyncratic purchased the spot and converted it into thing other and they didn't person a accidental implicit it," helium said.

Porter notes that conscionable to the northeast of the property, along Chiefswood Road, 1 of the main arteries done the community, is the Ohsweken Speedway. It's owned by a Six Nations subordinate who built it connected household lands. The racetrack roars to beingness each Friday nighttime from May to September. 

Just down from the Speedway sits the sprawling cigaret mill and warehouse buildings of Grand River Enterprises, which ships baccy products astir the globe.

"There are factories going up weekly, close successful the interior of each these lots," helium said. 

"There's nary process for gathering permits. So there's tons of operation happening here. The immense majority, nary of the members cognize astir it."

Health Canada and Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General accidental they person nary agreements with Six Nations allowing it to licence marijuana producers oregon retailers. The issuing of cannabis licences by First Nations communities — extracurricular of national and provincial frameworks — has not been tested successful court.