SOCIAL WORK

No Laws Needed To Protect B.C. Children Found In Grow-Ops, Minister Says

Three Children Were Found Last Week In An Abbotsford Home Filled With
Enough Carbon Monoxide To Kill A Person In A Matter Of Hours

VICTORIA -- Social workers in the Fraser Valley were called in last
week to deal with three young children found in a grow-op. Despite
the wearying familiarity of the scene, they had to make a
child-protection decision in the absence of any specific policy.

Last year, Alberta became the first province to pass legislation
aimed at protecting children exposed to the many hazards associated
with indoor marijuana grow operations.

But B.C.'s Ministry of Children and Family Development has rejected
repeated requests from its front-line workers to issue a clear set of
guidelines.

"Social workers responding to a situation like this always assess the
individual circumstances and they act accordingly," Children's
Minister Tom Christensen said yesterday.

In last week's case, the three children under 12 were placed in the
care of other family members. The Abbotsford, B.C., home, police
discovered, was contaminated with dangerously high levels of carbon
monoxide, enough to kill a person in a matter of hours.

That's just one of the risks to children living in grow-ops, noted
Paul Jenkinson, a spokesman for the B.C. Association of Social
Workers. There's also mould caused by the humid growing environment,
the use of toxic fertilizers, the chance of home invasions, and
unsafe wiring when growers steal electricity.

"It's an emerging social phenomenon and it comes up regularly," Mr.
Jenkinson said.

Mr. Christensen could provide no statistics about the number of
children exposed to such conditions, but Mr. Jenkinson said the
public deserves answers. A 2003 report from the Vancouver police
found that one in five confirmed grow-ops had children present.

"My sense is if the public was aware of a social phenomenon where a
thousand kids in British Columbia were at risk of being electrocuted
or poisoned, or someone might bust in and be violent, I would think
the public would be in an uproar," he said.

"But the Ministry has been slow on the uptake in identifying those
risks. We want a document that outlines how ... you make sure these
children are safe. If the parents are relying on this for their
income, you need to know that or you are inviting this to happen
again to the children."

In Alberta, the Drug-endangered Children Act identifies children
living in grow-ops or methamphetamine labs as victims of abuse who
need protection.

It cites a number of potential health and safety risks including:

inhalation, absorption, or ingestion of toxic chemicals;

fires and explosions;

abuse and neglect;

problems such as chronic respiratory conditions, neurological damage
and cancer.

Mr. Christensen said no legislation is needed in B.C.

"There is no evidence to suggest our social workers don't know how to
act," he said.

"Typically, where the Ministry is called in, those children are
either taken into care or some other arrangement for their care is found."