Graham Hughes/CP Kahnawake Grand Chief Joe Norton on the Kahnawake reserve near Montreal on Sept. 18, 2018.

KAHNAWAKE, Que. — Just upriver from downtown Montreal, the Kahnawake First Nation council office takes pride of place in the reserve's modest skyline, along with a youth centre and a pair of churches. Soon, however, these old edifices may all be dwarfed by a sprawling, state-of-the-art greenhouse sprouting with cannabis plants and buzzing with cultivators of Canada's newest legal commodity. The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake has signed a non-binding agreement with Canopy Growth Corp. The potential deal would see the First Nation host a 4,650-square-metre production facility, plus a processing and packaging space nearly half that size, in partnership with Canada's largest cannabis company. "We rely almost completely on outside government cash. We need a stable source of income so that we can then give it back to our people," said Grand Chief Joe Norton, pointing to plans for enhanced park spaces, health and addictions treatment and a Mohawk language program. As Canada's largest cannabis company, Canopy Growth Corp. has been termed the 'Google of pot'. Story continues after video:

Kahnawake is hardly alone. First Nations across the country are capitalizing on cannabis legalization — set for Oct. 17 — with plans for production plants, partnerships and investments. But the potential windfalls come with concerns around social fallout and clashes over jurisdiction. As of last August, there were at least five licensed producers and 14 applicants with Indigenous ties, according to Health Canada. But dozens of First Nations are linking up directly with cannabis companies that already have licences, Norton said. In western Saskatchewan, Thunderchild First Nation has invested $8 million in Westleaf Cannabis Inc. for a 10,700-square-metre production facility on council-owned land, slated for completion next year. Alberta's Fort McMurray #468 First Nation aims to build an on-reserve production plant yielding up to 15,000 kilograms per year, in partnership with cannabis company RavenQuest BioMedcan. In the Yukon, Carcross-Tagish First Nation Chief Andy Carville has instructed his legal team to go on a "fact-finding mission" around pot production. We rely almost completely on outside government cash. We need a stable source of income so that we can then give it back to our peopleGrand Chief Joe Norton "We got quite excited looking at how we can take advantage of it," he said, citing local jobs and a steady revenue stream as a means to "move out from under the government's thumb." Carville said he has sat down with Aurora Cannabis Inc., among other growers and investors, to discuss a location. Not everyone is so patient. The Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in eastern Ontario is one of several communities where entrepreneurs have defied federal law to open dispensaries ahead of legalization. Band councils have met the vendors with relative indifference — as in Tyendinaga, where more than 40 retailers sell pot — to swift crackdowns, like in Kahnawake, where one incorrigible dealer has tried to open up shop three times. "The community itself is divided on the whole issue of cannabis," said Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Chief Jean Guy Whiteduck, citing community wellness concerns. "Not everyone sees it as a get-rich-quick scheme."

Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS Workers produce medical marijuana at Canopy Growth Corporation's Tweed facility in Smiths Falls, Ont., on Feb. 12, 2018.