DRUG LAB FEARS SPUR BYLAW PUSH

Onus Would Be On Landlords To Ensure Properties Aren't Being Used For
Clandestine Operations

They're called "clan labs" in the lingo of police officers familiar
with their potentially lethal effects.

Victoria police are bracing for the appearance here of clandestine
laboratories where drugs such as crack cocaine and crystal meth are
cooked up in basements and bathrooms of homes.

The hidden labs -- which elsewhere have been known to blow up
buildings and leave behind significant caustic chemical cleanup
problems -- have not yet been uncovered in the city. But Coun. Helen
Hughes, re-elected Saturday to a sixth term, is pushing a bylaw that
will put the onus on property owners -- even if they're absentee
landlords -- to monitor buildings regularly to ensure they're not
used for drug-making purposes.

Property owners would also be responsible for paying for the cleanup
of clan labs under the bylaw that has been referred to city hall
staff for review.

"Clandestine labs are very dangerous and very expensive to clean up,"
said Hughes, who sees the bylaw as a precautionary measure.

"Some cases would require a (hazardous goods removal) crew to clean
up the mess at city expense."

Const. Brad Fraser, of Victoria police, said those costs could range
from $5,000 to $250,000 depending on the size of the operation.

Fraser recently made a presentation to council about the growth of
clan labs and their risk to public safety. More than 30 drug labs or
"dump sites" have been discovered in B.C., he said.

About half of them involved crystal meth. Some labs convert marijuana
plants to "weed oil" or synthesize crystal meth from over-the-counter
pharmaceutical drugs containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.

Other operations convert crystal meth powder into pill forms, and
there are labs for growing marijuana and "magic" mushrooms.

Fraser, involved with the Greater Victoria school board's recently
established task force on crystal meth, said police targeting of
organized drug rings has eliminated large labs in nearby Washington
state. But these have been replaced by smaller "Beavis and Butthead"
drugmaking operations.

In 2002,Washington state authorities uncovered 2,000 such labs,
nicknamed for teenaged cartoon characters who have a habit of blowing
themselves up. Most of them were crystal meth labs using lithium from
batteries and other toxic chemicals.

Fraser showed photos of homes in Eastern Canada that have been
destroyed by accidents at such labs. The cost of dismantling and
disposing of these kinds of facilities would involve bringing in
specialized crews from Vancouver.

"These are very caustic materials," said Hughes, who believes that
people are already mixing ingredients for crystal meth in local
bathtubs. The chemicals involved would have to be shipped to Alberta,
Quebec or Washington state for disposal.

Responding to cleanups of clan labs would involve police and fire
officers, paramedics, and a host of outside agencies, including a
Health Canada chemist from either Vancouver or Winnipeg.

Hughes said the proposed city bylaw is based on regulations
introduced in Kelowna.

Similar measures have also been adopted in such communities as
Chilliwack, Surrey, Port Moody and Vernon, Fraser said.