DRUG DENS REVEALED

Health Website to Give Purchasers Look at Homes' History

Buyers worried about unknowingly purchasing a former marijuana
growhouse will soon be able to trace a home's history on a website
briefly unveiled by the Calgary Health Region yesterday.

The health region re-leased a list of city homes hit with executive
orders for running drug operations on its environmental health
website as a tool for prospective owners unsure if their dream home
has a checkered past.

The list of 108 houses, along with executive orders that name the
former owners responsible for the cleanup, was unveiled on the
website yesterday before being taken down to address some lingering
legal questions.

Robert Bradbury, director of health protection for the CHR, said
"somebody jumped the gun," by posting the orders before a full legal
review was finished but the registry will soon return.

"We're just making it easier and more transparent to find this
information," Bradbury said, noting houses busted for illicit drug
purposes can be checked by the public at the CHR's downtown headquarters.

"This way people can decide if they want to buy that house that was
formerly a grow-op and is being remediated."

The online registry lists 83 homes that have been hit with cleanup
orders and 25 more that have met the re-quirements in the CHR's
executive health orders.

Based on Calgary's red-hot housing market, the value of the dubious
properties is around $40 million.

Bradbury said former grow-ops could present a number of potential
health concerns due to mould, fire hazards, chemicals and venting. He
said the CHR will keep the database in place so homebuyers can check
back to see if a house was used as a drug operation.

Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart, who chairs the Stop Marijuana Grow-op
Coalition, said the registry is a welcome resource for homebuyers who
want to make a safe purchase.

"This is a significant step forward in the fight against
neighbourhood drug factories," she said.