Photo: The Canadian Press Production staff harvest marijuana at United Greeneries in Duncan.

In a tree-nestled First Nation community on Vancouver Island, forestry and farming used to be the major industries that kept the economy humming and put food on families' tables.

But members of the Cowichan Tribes, like people from so many small and rural towns in Canada, have seen jobs driven elsewhere through dramatic changes to those sectors.

So when a medical marijuana company moved next door, Chief William Seymour saw an opportunity for his members to get good jobs and stay in the area.

"It's their home. It is hard for any First Nation, doesn't matter where you go, when they grow up in their own community. Having to move is always a huge thing," he said.

Harvest One Cannabis Inc.'s grow facility is located on land owned by the Cowichan Tribes just outside Duncan, B.C. The company hopes to employ members of the First Nation once it completes a $9-million expansion, and the band is offering to pay for training courses to get prospective workers up to speed.

Across Canada, medical marijuana companies have begun ramping up production capacity and staff levels in anticipation of legalization of recreational cannabis on July 1, 2018.

The Cowichan Valley is an example of a region that's been supportive of the cannabis industry, said Graham Whitmarsh, chief operating officer of Harvest One and a former industry consultant who once worked on projects in the province's Interior, including Merritt.

"There's a (type) of community where I think this fits well, especially those that may have historically relied on the logging industry," said Whitmarsh, a former deputy minister in B.C.'s previous Liberal government. "Merritt is a good example. A major sawmill closed down there just a couple of years ago.

"This is an entirely new business. It's going to grow to be something substantial at the end of the day, and it's not dependent on the local resources, so the communities are a good fit."