Medical marijuana company Aurora Cannabis held an official groundbreaking Friday for its massive production facility near the Edmonton airport to mark the facility’s — and the company’s — progress.

Work on the 75,000-square-metre facility, dubbed Aurora Sky, began last fall. The skeleton of about one quarter of the facility is already up.

“It’s astonishing. We’re building the country’s largest cannabis facility on 30 acres of federal land,” said Cam Battley, executive vice-president of Aurora Cannabis.

Construction of the facility, located next to the Edmonton International Airport, is expected to be complete before the legalization of recreational marijuana in July 2018. However, the company hopes to start production before the end of 2017 to meet growing demand for medical marijuana.

Once marijuana is legalized and the facility is running at full capacity, the company expects to produce more than 100,000 kg of marijuana per year.

While construction is happening quickly — the facility uses pre-engineered modules shipped from the Netherlands — Battley said creating a recreational marijuana production business will take time.

“We’re not fooling ourselves. The legalization of marijuana needs to be done responsibly. We’re working with partners in government to do it right,” said Battley.

“We have the experience to work within a rules-based system under government regulations.”

Aurora Cannabis already runs a 5,000-square-metre medical marijuana facility in Cremona, north of Calgary, which Battley said “is already tapped.”

The new facility is expected to create 200 to 300 jobs, from highly skilled technicians to security guards. The company hopes the facility will make Edmonton a centre for the lucrative cannabis industry, which Battley said could become as large as the distilling and brewing industries.

“We’re inventing a new industry in real time,” said Battley.

Here's a look at the facility construction so far. This is about 1/4 of the final size #aurorasky pic.twitter.com/0YOtpRTzdf — Michelle LePage (@MichelleAbroad) June 16, 2017

The company is investing more than $100 million in the new facility, and is also investing in other cannabis-related companies in the Edmonton region. Its e-commerce business model and proximity to the airport are also expected to bring more economic activity to the region.

“This is an anchor,” said Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson. “Other businesses and industries will see this as a great place to invest.

“I’ve seen it coming for awhile,” he added. “I’m surprised it’s taken this long.”

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mlepage@postmedia.com