CRIME: TOWNSHIP TOUGHENS PLANS TO FIGHT DRUG HOUSES Langley Township Will Soon Have Tougher Bylaws To Drive Out Drug Labs And Marijuana Growers Who Use Residential Homes. The council unanimously approved a motion by Councillor Jordan Bateman at Monday's meeting, asking staff to put more teeth in existing bylaws. "This is just one small piece of the puzzle," Bateman said. The motion asked for staff to amend the bylaws that prohibit drug production and to give building inspectors more powers to address damage to homes. Staff will also investigate placing a notice on a land title, advising anyone who might buy a home if it has been used as a marijuana grow house or a methamphetamine lab. Bateman pointed out that the Township first put a bylaw in place in 2003 which limits grow ops using property maintenance standards. Since then, several other nearby municipalities have put even tougher measures in place, and Bateman said it's time for Langley to catch up. The neighbourhood Bateman's family lives in, Hillcrest, had 13 grow ops busted in 2003, despite being very close to the RCMP detachment headquarters. He said locals there have become very proactive in spotting and turning in anyone suspected of running a grow operation. The main cause for concern in grow ops is the chemicals used, and the mold generated, by the process, Bateman said. He is worried about the effects it could have on residents, especially children, if they moved into a former drug house and didn't know that the home had a previous life as a drug factory. Coun. Mel Kositsky worried that the changes to local bylaws will be an attack on the provincial government for failing to take action on the issue. He suggested that the municipalities should work with the province to change enforcement and the courts. The most effective tool, Kositsky said, would be for BC Hydro to open their records and report homes with unusually high power consumption - often the sign of a marijuana grow operation. Coun. Kim Richter defended Bateman's motion, saying that taking action was not an attack on the provincial government. "We've got to stop passing the buck on this," she said.
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