I am a gardener, beekeeper, and long-time retired engineering manager...  I'm wondering if there is a possibility that the plants being grown in Canada have already been planted at another legal location??  Once the permit is granted, the seedlings could arrive and be planted resulting in far less time to maturity.

That is what is done with many vegetables.  Onions for example come in seedlings bound by the hundreds...  It would take a dramatic reduction in area (square footage) to get thousands of plants up and going before transplanting in their final harvested location.

Just a thought......  Does anyone have any other ideas???