HIGH-RISE POT FARM: COMPENSATION DEMANDED FOR NEIGHBOURS

TORONTO -- After the discovery of a huge marijuana grow operation in
a Toronto-area high-rise, local politicians are asking that its
tenants be compensated amid growing concerns about their health and
safety in the building.

Ontario Conservative Leader John Tory and Councillor George Mammoliti
knocked on doors and held an impromptu town hall meeting in the lobby
of the building Sunday where police on Thursday found millions of
dollars worth of marijuana being grown in 22 units of the building.

They listened as about two dozen residents expressed their fears over
health and safety issues. They shared stories of mould on their
walls, strong smells, power being repeatedly shut off for hours and
their all-but-ignored complaints.

Karina Aguilar, who has lived in a three-bedroom unit in the building
for two years, said her three children have recently developed rashes.

Her 11-year-old daughter and 14-month-old and five-year-old sons have
been put on antibiotics after her doctor told her the cause of the
rashes was most likely mould in her apartment, she said.

Toronto police have said grow-ops use chemicals and soil that can
lead to mould growth which can cause breathing problems.

"I hardly ever saw management here. They were very, very rude to me
when I called (to complain about the mould), Aguilar said.

"They finally came and fixed it, ironically, (on) the same day the
police (did) the raids."

Tory called on Premier Dalton McGuinty to use the provincial Victim's
Justice Fund to help residents of the 13-storey apartment building.

Tenants Feel Neglected

"(There is) a great sense of disappointment about (the) fact that ...
all of us in government together, haven't assured them more quickly
that their apartments are healthy to stay in," Tory said.

Mammoliti promised to put forth a resolution at city council asking
Cando Property Management Ltd., which owns the 700-resident building,
to offer some form of compensation to the victims.

He added, however, that the city cannot force the management company
to offer residents anything.

He said he does not know if management collected rent from the 22
units that were being used as grow-ops.

Calls to Cando Property Management were not returned Sunday.

This year, the Ontario Provincial Police have discovered about 450
indoor and outdoor operations with almost 140,000 plants.

Mammoliti believes the building was targeted because of its tenants:
"People take advantage when a majority of people (in the building)
can't speak English and are afraid to talk to authorities about their
problems."

Tory added that stiffer sentences are needed for those found guilty
of running grow-ops.

Police raids on five apartments on Thursday quickly expanded to more
units when police suspected other apartments were being used as soil-
based marijuana grow operations.

Daniel Wallace, 47, the building's superintendent, Tat Thang Nguyen,
35, and Dinh Pham, 46, face charges in connection with the 6,000-
marijuana plant grow-op -- worth more than $6 million.