Full Press Release Details
This Management's Discussion and Analysis dated January 10, 2021 (this "MD&A"), should be read in conjunction with the condensed consolidated interim financial statements (the "Interim Financial Statements") of Organigram Holdings Inc. (the "Company" or "Organigram") for the three months ended November 30, 2020 ("Q1 Fiscal 2021") and the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended August 31, 2020 (the "Annual Financial Statements"), including the accompanying notes thereto.
Financial data in this MD&A is based on the Interim Financial Statements of the Company for the three months ended November 30, 2020 and has been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 Interim Financial Reporting as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB"), unless otherwise stated. All financial information in this MD&A is expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars ("$"), except for share and per share calculations, references to $ millions, per gram ("g") or kilogram ("kg") of dried flower and per milliliter ("mL") or liter ("L") of cannabis oil calculations.
The financial data in this MD&A contains certain financial and operational performance measures that are not defined by and do not have any standardized meaning under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") but are used by management to assess the financial and operational performance of the Company. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
Yield per plant (in grams);
Target production capacity;
Adjusted Gross Margin; and
The Company believes that these non-IFRS financial measures and operational performance measures, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, enable investors to evaluate the Company's operating results, underlying performance and prospects in a similar manner to the Company's management. The non-IFRS financial performance measures are defined in the sections in which they appear. Adjusted Gross Margin and Adjusted EBITDA are reconciled to IFRS in the "Financial Review and Discussion of Operations" section of this MD&A.
As there are no standardized methods of calculating these non-IFRS measures, the Company's approaches may differ from those used by others, and accordingly, the use of these measures may not be directly comparable. Accordingly, these non-IFRS measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.
The Company has decided to discontinue reporting cost-of-cultivation as a non-IFRS financial measure, on the basis that due to the absence of standardized methods for calculating non-IFRS financial measures, and widely varying inputs and methodologies used in the industry for metrics of this nature, the information is difficult to compare and potentially confusing.
The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Organigram Inc., is a licensed producer of cannabis and cannabis derived products (a "Licensed Producer" or "LP") under the Cannabis Act (Canada) and the Cannabis Regulations (Canada) (together, the "Cannabis Act") and regulated by Health Canada.
The Company's head and registered office is located at 35 English Drive, Moncton, New Brunswick, E1E 3X3. The Company's common shares ("Common Shares") are listed under the ticker symbol "OGI" on both the Nasdaq Global Select Market ("NASDAQ") and on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX"). Any inquiries regarding the Company may be directed to its Vice President, Investor Relations, Amy Schwalm, at (416) 704-9057 or by email to investorrelations@organigram.ca.
Additional information relating to the Company, including the Company's most recent annual information form (the "AIF") is available under the Company's issuer profile on the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval ("SEDAR") at www.sedar.com. The Company's reports and other information filed with or furnished to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") are available on the SEC's Electronic Document Gathering and Retrieval System ("EDGAR") at www.sec.gov.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
Certain information herein contains or incorporates comments that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation ("forward-looking information"). Forward-looking information, in general, can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "outlook", "objective", "may", "will", "could", "would", "might", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "continue", "budget", "schedule" or "forecast" or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. They include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to expectations, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, and the Company's objectives, goals, strategies, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates, projections and outlook, including statements relating to the Company's plans and objectives, or estimates or predictions of actions of customers, suppliers, partners, distributors, competitors or regulatory authorities; and, statements regarding the Company's future economic performance. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent management beliefs regarding future events, many of which, by their nature are inherently uncertain and beyond management control. Forward-looking information has been based on the Company's current expectations about future events.
Certain forward-looking information in this MD&A includes, but is not limited to the following:
Moncton Campus (as defined herein) licensing and target production capacity and timing thereof;
Expectations regarding production capacity, facility size, THC (as defined herein) content, costs and yields;
The impact of the current global health crisis caused by COVID-19 (as defined below);
Expectations around demand for cannabis and related products, future opportunities and sales including the relative mix of medical versus adult-use recreational products, the relative mix of products within the adult-use recreational category including wholesale, the Company's financial position, future liquidity and other financial results;
Legislation of additional cannabis types and forms for adult-use in Canada including regulations relating thereto and the implementation thereof and our future product forms;
Expectations around branded products and derivative-based products with respect to timing, launch, product attributes, composition and consumer demand;
Strategic investments and capital expenditures, and expected related benefits;
Expectations regarding the resolution of litigation and other legal proceedings;
The general continuance of current, or where applicable, assumed industry conditions;
Changes in laws, regulations and guidelines, including those relating to the recreational and medical cannabis market;
Price of cannabis and derivative cannabis products;
Impact of the Company's cash flow and financial performance on third parties, including its supply partners;
Fluctuations in the price of Common Shares and the market for the Common Shares;
Treatment of the Company's business under governmental regulatory regimes and tax laws, including the Excise Act
(as defined herein) and the renewal of the Company's license thereunder and the Company's ability to obtain export licenses from time to time;
The Company's growth strategy, targets for future growth and forecasts of the results of such growth;
Expectations concerning access to capital and liquidity and the Company's ability to access the public markets to fund operational activities and growth;
The Company's ability to remain listed on the TSX and NASDAQ and the impact of any actions it may be required to take to remain listed;
The ability of the Company to generate cash flow from operations and from financing activities; and
The competitive conditions of the industry, including the Company's ability to maintain or grow its market share.
Forward-looking information is provided for the purposes of assisting the reader in understanding the Company and its business, operations, risks, financial performance, financial position and cash flows as at and for the periods ended on certain dates and to present information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future and the reader is cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking information does not guarantee future performance and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. In addition, this MD&A may contain forward-looking information attributed to third party industry sources. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By its nature, forward-looking information involves numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the expectations, predictions, forecasts, projections and, conclusions will not occur or prove accurate, that assumptions may not be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: financial risks; dependence on senior management, the board of directors of the Company (the "Board of Directors"), consultants and advisors; availability and sufficiency of insurance including continued availability and sufficiency of director and officer and other forms of insurance; the Company and its subsidiaries being able to, where applicable, cultivate cannabis pursuant to applicable law and on the currently anticipated timelines; industry competition; general economic conditions and global events including COVID-19 retail store closures or reduced sales at retail stores or otherwise due to COVID-19; heightened uncertainty as a result of COVID-19 including economic and industry uncertainty and governmental action in respect thereto including with respect to impacts on production, operations, product development, new product launches, disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting, including as they may be impacted by delays in remediation due to work from home policies and other COVID 19 impacts, demand for products and services, third-party suppliers or service providers, and any existing or new international business partnerships; production facilities running at less than full capacity due to reduced workforce for reasons related to COVID-19 (as described herein) and market demand; potential supply chain and distribution disruptions; product development, facility and technological risks; changes to government laws, regulations or policy, including environmental or tax, or the enforcement thereof; agricultural risks; ability to maintain any required licenses or certifications including the successful completion of the inspection for the Good Agricultural Practice certification by the Control Union Medical Cannabis Standard ("CUMCS"); supply risks; product risks; construction delays or postponements; packaging and shipping logistics; expected number of medical and adult-use recreational cannabis users in Canada and internationally; potential time frame for the implementation of legislation to legalize cannabis internationally; the Company's, its subsidiaries and its investees' ability to, where applicable, obtain and/or maintain their status as Licensed Producers (as defined herein) or other applicable licenses; risk factors affecting its investees; availability of any required financing on commercially attractive terms or at all; non-compliance with debt covenants; the potential size of the regulated adult-use recreational cannabis market in Canada; demand for and changes in the Company's cannabis and related products, including the Company's Rec 2.0 products (as defined herein), and the sufficiency of the retail networks to supply such demand; ability to enter and participate in international market opportunities; general economic, financial market, regulatory, industry and political conditions affecting the Company; the ability of the Company to compete in the cannabis industry and changes in the competitive landscape; a material decline in cannabis prices; the Company's ability to manage anticipated and unanticipated costs; the Company's ability to implement and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures; and, other risks and factors described from time to time in the documents filed by the Company with securities regulators. Material factors and assumptions used in establishing forward-looking information include that construction and production activities will proceed as planned and demand for cannabis and related products will change in the manner expected by management, in each case after taking into account any impacts related to COVID-19 that are currently known or predicted by management based on the limited information available and the fluidity and uncertainty of the crisis. All forward-looking information is provided as of the date of this MD&A.
The Company does not undertake to update any such forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE ASSUMPTIONS, RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES OF THE COMPANY'S BUSINESS AND MATERIAL FACTORS OR ASSUMPTIONS ON WHICH INFORMATION CONTAINED IN FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION IS BASED IS PROVIDED IN THE COMPANY'S DISCLOSURE MATERIALS, INCLUDING IN THIS MD&A UNDER "RISK FACTORS" AND THE COMPANY'S CURRENT AIF UNDER "RISK FACTORS", FILED WITH THE SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES IN CANADA AND AVAILABLE UNDER THE COMPANY'S ISSUER PROFILE ON SEDAR AT WWW.SEDAR.COM AND FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC AND AVAILABLE ON EDGAR AT WWW.SEC.GOV. ALL FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION IN THIS MD&A IS QUALIFIED BY THESE CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS.
NATURE AND HISTORY OF THE COMPANY'S BUSINESS
The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary Organigram Inc. is a Licensed Producer of cannabis under the Cannabis Act.
The Company conducts its operations at its facility located in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Company has expanded its main facility over time to create additional production capabilities by strategically acquiring land and buildings adjacent to the main facility (together, the "Moncton Campus"). While the Company has substantially completed its expansion at the Moncton Campus with respect to cannabis production capacity, it is in the final phases of completing its refurbishment with respect to derivative products allowed for legal sale by Licensed Producers such as the Company under amendments to the Cannabis Act ("Rec 2.0").
Patients order medical cannabis dried flower and cannabis derivative products from the Company primarily through the Company's online store or by phone. Medical cannabis dried flower and cannabis derivative products are and will continue to be delivered by secured courier or other methods permitted by the Cannabis Act. The Company's prices vary based on grow time, strain yield and market conditions.
The Company is also authorized for wholesale shipping of cannabis plant cuttings, dried flower, blends, pre-rolls and cannabis derivative based products to approved retailers and wholesalers for adult-use recreational cannabis under the individual provincial and territorial regulations as per the Cannabis Act.
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
The Company's business and activities are heavily regulated. The Company's AIF contains a more detailed description of the regulatory framework of the Company's business as of the date of the AIF. The following provides a description of recent regulatory developments that have the potential to impact the Company's performance, however there have been no significant changes since the date of the AIF.
Current Regulatory Landscape
Medical cannabis has been legal in Canada since 2001 under various regulatory regimes. On June 20, 2018, the Government of Canada passed the Cannabis Act to allow regulated and restricted access to cannabis for adult-recreational users. The Cannabis Act came into force on October 17, 2018.
The Cannabis Act creates a strict legal framework for controlling the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis in Canada. The Cannabis Act allows adults to legally possess and use cannabis and therefore the possession of small amounts of cannabis is no longer a criminal offence. It also made it a specific criminal offence to sell cannabis to a minor and created significant penalties for those who engage young Canadians in cannabis-related offences.
On November 9, 2018, Health Canada issued a license to the Company under the Cannabis Act for standard cultivation, standard processing and sale for medical purposes (the "License"). On October 21, 2019, Health Canada amended the License to expand the classes of cannabis products that may be sold to adult-use recreational sales channels or sold for medical purposes, to include cannabis topicals, cannabis extracts and edible cannabis. The License has also been amended to add additional growing, processing, drying and storage rooms. The Company received Health Canada's approval for the renewal of the License effective March 20, 2020. The License is valid until March 20, 2023 and is subject to customary terms and conditions.
The Company also holds a cannabis license under the Excise Act, 2001 (the "Excise Act") which was renewed on October 17, 2020 and expires on October 16, 2022. All Licensed Producers who are authorized to cultivate, produce and package cannabis products are also required to hold a cannabis license under the Excise Act from the Canada Revenue Agency. The Company intends to renew its licenses prior to expiry.
The Company received its research and development license (the "Research License") from Health Canada on October 23, 2019 to conduct further in-house research. The activities authorized under the Research License have and will continue to support the Company's plans to commercialize cannabis products for Rec 2.0.
Edibles and Derivative Products Regulation
The Cannabis Act was amended in 2019 to include provisions that came into force on October 17, 2019 relating to the legal sale by Licensed Producers, such as the Company, of a range of new cannabis product forms such as: "edible cannabis", "cannabis extracts" and "cannabis topicals".
Certain provinces have announced restrictions on the launch and sale of edible and vaporizable products in their markets, including Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. Alberta lifted its previously announced ban on vaporizable cannabis products on February 14, 2020. As the market and regulations are rapidly developing the impact of these announcements is not readily determinable at this time.
A limited selection of Rec 2.0 products began to appear gradually in physical or online stores in the latter half of December 2019. Licensed Producers are required to provide 60-days prior notice to Health Canada of their intent to sell any new products and such notices could not be given until the new product forms were legalized on October 17, 2019.
See "Canadian Adult-Use Recreational Market 2.0" in this MD&A.
KEY QUARTERLY FINANCIAL AND OPERATING RESULTS
| Q1-2021 | Q1-2020 | CHANGE | % CHANGE | |||||||||
| Financial Results | ||||||||||||
| Gross revenue | $ | 25,280 | $ | 28,448 | $ | (3,168 | ) | (11)% | ||||
| Net revenue | $ | 19,331 | $ | 25,153 | $ | (5,822 | ) | (23)% | ||||
| Cost of sales | $ | 23,173 | $ | 15,811 | $ | 7,362 | 47% | |||||
| Gross margin before fair value adjustments | $ | (3,842 | ) | $ | 9,342 | $ | (13,184 | ) | (141)% | |||
| Gross margin % before fair value adjustments (1) | (20)% | 37% | (57)% | (154)% | ||||||||
| Operating expenses | $ | 11,539 | $ | 11,040 | $ | 499 | 5% | |||||
| Adjusted EBITDA (2) | $ | (6,387 | ) | $ | 5,712 | $ | (12,099 | ) | (212)% | |||
| Net loss | $ | (34,336 | ) | $ | (863 | ) | $ | (33,473 | ) | 3,879% | ||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities (3) | $ | 294 | $ | (26,868 | ) | $ | 27,162 | (101)% | ||||
| Adjusted Gross Margin (4) | $ | 1,948 | $ | 10,187 | $ | (8,239 | ) | (81)% | ||||
| Adjusted Gross Margin % (4) | 10% | 41% | (31)% | (76)% | ||||||||
| Financial Position | ||||||||||||
| Working capital | $ | 130,121 | $ | 142,793 | $ | (12,672 | ) | (9)% | ||||
| Inventories and biological assets | $ | 53,921 | $ | 125,206 | $ | (71,285 | ) | (57)% | ||||
| Total assets | $ | 473,372 | $ | 469,484 | $ | 3,888 | 1% | |||||
| Operating Results | ||||||||||||
| Kilograms harvested | 4,023 | 12,759 | (8,736 | ) | (68)% | |||||||
| Kilograms sold - dried flower | 4,820 | 5,501 | (681 | ) | (12)% |
| Note 1: | Equals gross margin before fair value adjustments (as reflected in the Interim Financial Statements) divided by net revenue. |
| Note 2: | Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS measure that the Company defines as net income (earnings) before: interest expense, net of investment income; income tax; depreciation, amortization, impairment, and gain (loss) on disposal of PP&E (per the statement of cash flows); share-based compensation (per the statement of cash flows); share of loss and impairment loss from investments in associates; unrealized loss (gain) on changes in fair value of contingent consideration; expenditures incurred in connection with the NASDAQ cross-listing; the fair value adjustment to biological assets and inventory; write-offs and impairment of inventories and biological assets; write-downs of inventory to net realizable value; COVID-19 related charges, net of any government subsidies; legal provisions; and share issuance costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities and the change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities. See the cautionary statement regarding non-IFRS financial measures in the "Introduction" section at the beginning of this MD&A and the reconciliation to IFRS measures in the Financial Results and Review of Operations section of this MD&A. |
| Note 3: | Q1 Fiscal 2020 net cash used in operating activities has been calculated based on a correction of a presentation error of net cash used in operating activities (refer to Note 24 of the Interim Financial Statements). Fiscal 2021 year-to-date net cash used in operating activities is correctly stated as per the Interim Financial Statements. |
| Note 4: | Adjusted Gross Margin is a non-IFRS measure that the Company defines as net revenue less: (i) cost of sales, before the effects fair value changes to biological assets and changes in inventory sold; excluding (ii) write-offs and impairment of inventories and biological assets; (iii) write-downs to net realizable value; (iv) COVID-19 related charges; and (v) unabsorbed overhead relating to underutilization of the production facility, most of which is related to non-cash depreciation expense. See the cautionary statement regarding non-IFRS financial measures in the "Introduction" section at the beginning of this MD&A and the reconciliation to IFRS measures in the Financial Results and Review of Operations section of this MD&A. Adjusted Gross Margin % equals Adjusted Gross Margin divided by net revenue. |
For the three months ended November 30, 2020, the Company reported $19,331 in net revenue. Of this amount $16,788 (87%) was sold to the adult-use recreational market, $2,188 (11%) to the medical market, $240 (1%) to the international market, and the balance of $115 (1%) to the wholesale market and other revenues. Q1 Fiscal 2021 net revenue decreased 23% or $5,822 from the prior year comparative period's net revenue of $25,153, primarily due to a decrease of $9,149 in wholesale revenue to Licensed Producers and a lower average net selling price ("ASP") compared to the prior year comparative period. The higher wholesale revenues during Q1 Fiscal 2020 were opportunistic in nature, and primarily consisted of sales to a single Licensed Producer. These wholesale revenues are not necessarily expected to recur in future quarters at those levels, or at all. Revenue from the adult-use recreational market increased $3,922, or 30%, offsetting the decrease in wholesale net revenue. This increase was primarily driven by the sale of Rec 2.0 products (vape products, cannabis-infused chocolates, and powdered beverage), which were not yet legally authorized and therefore not available to sell in Q1 Fiscal 2020, and new product offerings in the dried flower category.
In Q1 Fiscal 2021, gross revenue decreased 11% to $25,280 from $28,448 in the prior year comparative period and was similarly impacted by the factors described above.
Net revenue for Q1 Fiscal 2021 of $19,331 was net of a provision for product returns and pricing adjustments of $896 (each net of excise taxes) related to slow-moving products compared to net revenue for Q1 Fiscal 2020 of $25,153, which was net of a provision of $1,065. The Company is cognizant that in this new and emerging market, the size of the customer base, its demands, and preferences cannot yet be ascertained with a high degree of certainty or reliability, and future demand for existing and new products remains to be determined as the market further develops and matures.
Dried flower comprised 81% of net revenue in the quarter. The ASP of dried flower decreased to $3.24 per gram on a quarter-over-quarter basis compared to $4.57 per gram for Q1 Fiscal 2020, as both the Company and the Canadian cannabis industry experienced general price compression in the adult-use recreational and medical markets as these markets matured and the customer and product mix evolved to focus more on value offerings. Selling prices are prone to fluctuation and there may be further price compression if the market remains oversupplied. The Company is committed to refining its product mix as customer preferences evolve.
Sales volumes of dried flower in grams decreased 12% to 4,820 kg in Q1 Fiscal 2021 compared to the prior year comparative quarter, primarily as a result of the contribution of wholesale dried flower sales in the prior year.
Cost of sales for the three months ended November 30, 2020 increased to $23,173 compared to $15,811 in the prior year comparative period, primarily as a result of increased sales volumes in the adult-use recreational market, inventory write-downs and provisions, and unabsorbed fixed overhead costs. Included in Fiscal Q1 2021 cost of sales is a write-off of excess and unsaleable inventories of $3,126 related to provisions for unsaleable inventories and to reflect an estimated decline in selling prices. Additionally, $2,664 was incurred with respect to unabsorbed fixed overhead costs as a result of lower production volumes related to market demand and the implementation of social distancing measures related to COVID-19. None of these write-offs and charges were incurred in the prior year comparative period.
GROSS MARGIN BEFORE FAIR VALUE ADJUSTMENTS AND ADJUSTED GROSS MARGIN
The Company realized gross margin before fair value adjustments for the three months ended November 30, 2020 of ($3,842), or (20%) as a percentage of net revenue, compared to $9,342, or 37%, in the prior year comparative period. The decrease in gross margin before fair value adjustments as a percentage of net revenue is largely due to: (i) inventory provisions and write-off of excess and obsolete inventories; (ii) inventory write-downs to net realizable value; (iii) unabsorbed overhead as a result of lower production volumes; (iv) higher cost of sales on higher cultivation and post-harvest costs; and (v) a lower ASP from increased competition and the ongoing evolution of the customer and product mix as well as provisions for product returns and pricing adjustments.
Adjusted gross margin1 for the three months ended November 30, 2020 was $1,948, or 10%, compared to $10,187, or 41%, in the prior year quarter. This decrease was largely due to higher cultivation and post-harvest costs along with decreased average selling prices in Q1 Fiscal 2021. Please refer to the "Financial Review and Discussion of Operations" section of this MD&A for a reconciliation of net revenue to Adjusted Gross Margin.
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1 Adjusted gross margin is a non-IFRS financial measure. See the cautionary statement regarding non-IFRS financial measures in the "Introduction" section of this MD&A.
Selling, general and administrative expenses and share-based compensation were collectively $11,539 for Q1 Fiscal 2021, which was slightly higher than $11,040 in Q1 Fiscal 2020, primarily due to a reduction in share-based compensation expense, which was offset by higher insurance and employee costs, relating to higher D&O premiums and the growth of the team, respectively, as well as cultivation-related research and development costs.
Negative Adjusted EBITDA2 was $6,387 in Q1 Fiscal 2021 compared to positive Adjusted EBITDA of $5,712 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The reduced Adjusted EBITDA is primarily attributed to the lower Adjusted Gross Margin and higher operating expenses, when excluding share-based compensation expense in Q1 Fiscal 2021, as discussed above. Please refer to the "Financial Review and Discussion of Operations" section of this MD&A for a reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA.
The net loss was $34,336 in Q1 Fiscal 2021 compared to a net loss of $863 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The increase in net loss was primarily attributed to lower gross margin as described above as well as a negative fair value change attributed to biological assets and inventory sold ($12,832 compared to a positive change of $1,852 in the prior year), higher financing costs, share issuance costs associated with the derivative warrant liabilities ($803), and a negative change in the fair value of derivative warrant liabilities ($4,672).
Working capital as at November 30, 2020 declined to $130,121 from $141,123 as at August 31, 2020 as the Company reclassified $55,000 of its long-term debt to current in connection with the December 1, 2020 repayment contemplated as part of the Company's Amended and Restated Facilities as described in the "Balance Sheet, Liquidity and Capital Resources" section of this MD&A. This was offset by a net increase in the Company's cash and short-term investments of $59,172 resulting from the unit financing during Q1 Fiscal 2021 as described in the same section of the MD&A noted above.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS DURING THE QUARTER AND SUBSEQUENT TO NOVEMBER 30, 2020
COVID-19 CORPORATE ACTION PLAN
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus ("COVID-19") a global pandemic. Government measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, including the closure of non-essential businesses for periods of time, continued to disrupt the Company's operations during the three month period ended November 30, 2020 and which disruption is ongoing.
The production and sale of cannabis have been recognized as essential services across Canada and non-essential businesses have had periods of reopening, however COVID-19 pandemic related challenges persist. Due to the ongoing developments and uncertainty, it is not possible to predict the continuing impact that COVID-19 will have on the Company, its financial position, its operating results and/or its cash flows. In addition, it is possible that estimates in the Company's financial statements will change in the near-term as a result of COVID-19 and the effect of any such changes could be material, which could result in, among other things, an impairment of long-lived assets including intangible assets. The Company continues to closely monitor the impact of COVID-19 on all aspects of its business.
On April 6, 2020, Organigram announced the temporary layoff of approximately 45% of its workforce primarily in an effort to help contain COVID-19. The Company offered voluntary layoffs to certain staff and those who accepted made up the majority of the layoffs. In some cases, due to the impacts of COVID-19, some administrative, support and other functions were deemed non-essential to the short-term needs of the business and those employees were temporarily laid off. The temporary layoffs were initiated on March 24, 2020. Lump-sum payments (equating to approximately two weeks of work) were paid to the affected employees to help bridge the gap to available government programs. In addition, the Company absorbed the employee paid portion of health, dental and short-term disability premiums for all employees during this difficult time. The impact of these temporary layoffs resulted in a charge of approximately $0.7 million during the month of April 2020, which is primarily associated with the lump sum payments provided to these employees.
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2 Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS financial measure. See the cautionary statement regarding non-IFRS financial measures in the "Introduction" section of this MD&A.
The Company also put in place a number of health and safety measures during Q3 and Q4 2020 including, but not limited to, the following:
An emergency response team was established to monitor pandemic updates, review safety protocols, assess public health risk and develop action plans;
Moved to a work from home environment for any functions not required onsite;
Implemented travel restrictions for work related travel, restricted visitor access to the Company's facilities and imposed self-isolation for any employees who may have had symptoms of COVID-19 and/or returned from international travel as of March 13th;
Increased focus on sanitation and social distancing, with additional hand sanitizing stations throughout the Moncton Campus, cleaning and sanitizing of high touch surfaces, and additional cleaning in common areas;
Imposed restrictions on large meetings and gatherings, opting for web-based meetings and teleconferencing;
Mandatory reporting of any hourly employee absence to an attendance phone line including specific reporting of any COVID-19 symptoms; and
Reminders of measures to reduce risk of infection and prevent spread including washing hands and avoiding contact with faces.
Effective May 13, 2020, the Company began to implement a staggered return-to-work plan.
On July 3, 2020, in response to the continued impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business and the continuing evolution of the Canadian cannabis industry the Company announced that in order to better align its production capacity to prevailing market conditions it had reduced its workforce by 25% by permanently laying off 220 employees. As of the date of this MD&A, the Company has 463 active employees operating out of its Moncton Campus facility and another 86 outside the facility for 549 total active employees.
On October 23, 2020, the Company announced the departure of Julie Chamberlain, Vice President, Marketing who left the Company effective November 6, 2020 for a General Manager role in a non-competing industry. Further, Cameron Bishop, Vice President, Public Affairs and Stakeholder Relations has also left Organigram to pursue other interests as a consultant.
OTHER KEY DEVELOPMENTS
On November 12, 2020, the Company closed an underwritten public offering (the "Offering") of units of the Company (the "Units") for total gross proceeds of $69,144. The Company sold 37,375,000 Units at a price of $1.85 per Unit, including 4,875,000 Units sold pursuant to the full exercise of the over-allotment option. The Offering was underwritten by a syndicate of underwriters led by Canaccord Genuity Corp. Each Unit consisted of one common share of the Company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant of the Company (each full common share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") for a period of three years following the closing date of the Offering at an exercise price of $2.50 per Warrant Share, subject to adjustment for certain events.
On November 17, 2020, the Company announced the launch of Edison RE:MIX dissolvable cannabis powder that offers Canadian adults the opportunity to enjoy cannabis their way and offers the benefits of being customizable, rapid and discreet.
On December 16, 2020, the Company announced the launch of Trailblazer Spark, Flicker and Glow 510-thread Torch vape cartridges in a new 1g format. As one of the first companies to launch 510-thread vape cartridges into the legal, adult recreational market in Canada, Trailblazer Torch offers consumers 510 cartridges, high-quality CO2 extract and three unique terpene-infused flavours.
On December 22, 2020, the Company announced the launch of three new Edison Cannabis Co. ("Edison") indica strains namely, high potency Black Cherry Punch and Ice Cream Cake (I.C.C.) and full flavour Slurricane, which offers a distinct flavour and aroma profile as a result of being grown in a strain specific micro-climate.
OPERATIONS AND PRODUCTION
While the vast majority of incremental production capacity between 2017 to 2019 by the Company's competitors was generated from greenhouse (not indoor) production, Organigram focused on a core competency of controlling conditions in precisely built indoor environments (over 100 separate grow rooms) with a commitment to continuous improvement and investment in information technology.