GROW-OP BYLAW WOULD REQUIRE HOME DISCLOSURE

A bylaw requiring sellers to disclose whether their homes had been used for
marijuana grow operations is only one item on a hard-hitting agenda to be
tackled by a city steering committee today.

The Stop MGOs Steering Committee will explore tougher sentencing for drug
dealers and an online database that would list homes in which illegal drugs
were produced.

"We're rolling up our sleeves," committee co-ordinator Diane Colley-Urqhart
said Monday.

"A registry for MGO homes is something we have to seriously explore," the
alderman said.

Unsuspecting buyers have nothing to warn them that they may be purchasing
houses used for grow ops or meth labs.

Such homes pose health and safety risks, such as mould and faulty wiring
due to being tampered with to bypass electricity meters.

It costs between $60,000 and $80,000 to repair a house damaged by grow ops,
which appear to be multiplying at an explosive rate.

"In 2001, $9 million in illegal marijuana was seized by Calgary police,
With two weeks to go this year, over $100 million has been seized," said
Colley-Urqhart.

"We're probably the only city in Canada putting together an action plan,"
she added.

The committee is comprised of 40 people and includes 20 stakeholders such
as realtors, police, politicians, insurance agents and bank experts.

Public education and awareness are high on the agenda.

Calgarians can expect something extra tucked in their January Enmax bills
- -- pamphlets detailing how to spot drug houses in the neighborhood.

"We're really doing this to support Calgary police in their efforts to deal
with what can be a potentially dangerous situation to our customers," said
Enmax spokeswoman Sneh Seetal. "It can be dangerous anytime anyone tampers
with the electrical system."

Calgary police have said 95 per cent of all grow ops busted in Calgary have
used electrical bypasses.

The Calgary Real Estate Board contributed $15,000 to the pamphlet, said
president Don Dickson, a member of the MGO committee.

"The problem we have is the privacy issue. The legislation was never
intended to protect criminals. In this case, it does," he said.

Disclosure statements are not mandatory in Alberta, However, many realtors
require sellers to fill them out before they'll list the property.

The only requirement now is to disclose structural damage or health risks,
said Dickson.

"Who is going to determine at what point a grow op is hazardous?"

About 2,500 of the city's 4,600 realtors have flocked to police information
sessions on marijuana grow ops.

"It's certainly a concern," he said.

"But I don't want people to think every time they go out to buy a house,
it's a former grow op," said Dickson.

There have been 42,000 listings this year in Calgary, with 25,000 sales, he
said.

"Police have busted 191 homes this year and 30 came back on the market."