An open letter to Numo Cannabis Co.

Ryan Seeras

Chief Marketing Officer

Management Team

Numo Cannabis Co.

11733-95 Street NW

Edmonton, AB T6C 3W6

Dear Ryan Seeras, Daniel Nguyen, and Ryan Dela Pena;

AN OPEN LETTER DECLINING YOUR JOB OFFER

Thank you, Ryan Seeras (who will be referred to ‘Seeras’ for the remainder of this letter) for the job offer to work for Numo Cannabis Co. as a budtender and to help you do social outreach to change our community’s understanding and perception of cannabis and its users. It is with firm conviction that I will not work for you or either of your managing partners.

Numo Cannabis Co. is located downtown in a vulnerable area of our city. Numo Staff has been nothing but amazing when it comes to creating community, changing the conversation of cannabis and assisting any one of their customers to the best of their abilities under their Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis certification. For the sake of clarity the Numo Staff is amazing, authentic and are paving the road for a different kind of Edmonton and one that I very much wanted to be apart of. The lack of integrity that Numo Cannabis Co. is precipitated by managers Ryan Seeras, Daniel Nguyen, and Ryan Dela Pena - leaving me with no choice but to walk away.

Seeras, offered me a job July 12, 2019 without a resume, application, reference check and/or interview. Simply based on my enthusiasm and youth he quickly hired me - without my SmartSell, Alberta Gaming Liquor Commission; QWR number and/or police check. Over the next week while I was learning about the cannabis industry through my SmartSell, and conversations with the AGLC. It seemed that Numo was breaking a lot of rules that our government has established and other responsible shops in the city do or die by. Seeras allowed me to go behind the counter on multiple occasions and help when the store was busy - again I was and still am not a licensed cannabis seller. Seeras’ reputation with his employees is one of unfair management, indecisive leadership and attempts to look up pornhub.com (and other female, degrating, sexual images and pornography during work time); however his greatest mistake was turning a blind eye to his buisness partners; Daniel Nguyen (who will be referred to as ‘Daniel' for the remainder of this letter), Ryan Dela Pena’s (who will be referred to as ‘RDP’ for the remainder of this letter) unprofessional and harrassing actions.

Over the week of July 13 - July 20, 2019 I spent some time in and around the store to better see and understand the business I had been offered to join. I was shocked at the behaviour of the founder and CEO, Daniel. He allowed customers to take product (which is prohibited by the AGLC) into the bathroom, he allowed me to sit behind the counter and encouraged my help with sales (again, I am unlicensed). It was not until Saturday July 20 did Daniel quickly realize (after a brave employee pointed out) that my services where technically not legal. Daniel attempted to mitigate the situation and quickly called me into his suedo-office and asked that only visibly licensed people be working with the product and it was his bad. Less than ten minutes later Daniel’s girlfriend without a visible license was seen handling product, disposing of containers and assisting customers. The difference? No employee is going to say something about their boss’s girlfriend. Daniel appears to be able to use his title as ‘Founder’ and ‘CEO’ and ‘my family owns the block’ as a way to silence employees over his blatant disregard for regulation. Getting high while you are at work in attempts to sell your product is prohibited by the AGLC, Daniel. You should stop - your neighbours are talking; it does not matter that your family owns the block what you do on shift is seen by everyone. Once again proof that just because your parents have the keys to the castle does not mean you should be king.

My largest complaint and object of disgust was how Daniel and Seeras could turn an utter blind eye to RDP’s sexual harassment of a 19-year-old staff memeber. Displaying sexually graphic pictures of her he found on the internet in the shop, to other staff, and customers. His comments are unprofessional and would never be welcome in this changing #metoo movement. Just because you are her boss does not mean you have the right to make her uncomfortable over her private photos. Her body, her choice. Piss off, RDP. What makes it worse is that both Seeras and Daniel are aware of this harassment and have chosen to do nothing about it. Other staff members openly complain about the treatment their 19 year old co-worker is getting and yet to no avail. Thank you to all those Numo Staff who keep saying something and protecting that co-worker from RDP and the customers he is empowering to sexually objectify her. It is clear that through RDP’s actions, comments and rude gestures your customers are starting to think that treating that girl as an object is acceptable. IT IS NOT.

This culture of fear is how Numo Management (these three boys) keep their power and sway over their young, impressionable employees. The majority of their employees are paid minimum wage and lied to about how much other budtenders make in the city. After personally talking to several other cannabis shops - Numo Staff is underpaid by three whole dollars and are treated the worst. Numo staff openly talks about the lack of structure, direction and leadership with incoming customers. Few Numo staff - and only those with penises (even though their highest selling associate is that 19 year old girl who is too busy being objectified to be promoted) - have been given raises since they began nine months ago and no Numo staff to date has been given a performance review. Daniel did you not learn standard, ethical business practice from your time at Macewan University? I would have expected better for someone who touts their Bachelor of Commerce as reason why he is superior to his employees; that did not attend a form of post-secondary institution. Seeras mentioning the Peter Lougheed Leadership College he graduated from the University of Alberta. Are these seriously the leaders our universities and leadership colleges are vouching for?

To the Numo Staff: You are wonderful. You are making this city a better place and changing that conversation around responsible cannabis use. I SEE YOU. I am broken hearted you are being treated this way. This has nothing to do with you. I see your hussle, you following every rule and your attempts to stick up for your co-workers; it is amazing. I will personally ensure this letter will be distributed to each and every Cannabis Shop in Edmonton and its surrounding area. Your excellence and integrity, Numo Staff, should not be marred by the lack of integrity of Seeras, Daniel and RDP. Please feel free to reach out and use me as a reference to your outstanding work and principles of the AGLC in the face of your horrible management.

In closing, I will not be taking any form of job with Numo Cannabis Co. I am sorry that there is little more than I can do other than to put into writing my refusal to work for such disgusting management, and distribute my letters to other cannabis shops in hopes that they will take far better care of Numo Staff, the emerging cannabis conversation and following the guidelines put in place by the AGLC.

Boys, perhaps taking a read through “Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?: (And How to Fix It):” published by the Harvard Business Review Press - it came out February 2019. Either that or maybe re-enrolling in Kindergarten. There are some lessons you have clearly missed.

Sincerely

Rachel Leiah