GROW-OP KIDS: WHAT HAPPENED?

The fate of more than 150 Surrey children found in "hazardous
conditions" in the last year is being questioned by local MLAs this week.

The Leader reported Wednesday that the city's new grow-op inspection
team found 155 children in dangerous homes in the last year. Each
case was reported to the provincial agency responsible.

An official with the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development
could not say what happened in each case, except that each was investigated.

NDP MLAs are fuming about the lack of information coming from the ministry.

"I think it's unconscionable, we should be able to know as a
community what is happening to the kids," said Sue Hammell, MLA for
Surrey-Green Timbers. "This is just another example of the ministry
not being able to effectively protect and account for some of the
most vulnerable in our society, and that's our kids."

The children were discovered as a result of the city's anti-grow-op
initiative, known as the Electrical Fire Safety Team (EFST). In
operation since last year, B.C. Hydro provides the team with the
addresses of homes with excessive power usage, which is common to
marijuana grow operations.

In a 56-week period, firefighters and city inspectors examined 353 homes.

"It is also noted that in 80 of the houses that were inspected and
found to have significant electrical problems, there were 155
children living in hazardous conditions," Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis
wrote in a report to city council.

In each of those instances, team members reported the dangerous
conditions to the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development.

Garis said Wednesday dangers include "moulds, fertilizers, electrical
hazards all over the place - these kids are in this environment."

An official with the ministry said records don't indicate how many of
those children, if any, were seized or put into protection by the province.

"Our computer system has been tailored to our legislation," the
ministry spokesperson said.

Section 13 of the Child, Family and Community Services Act gives
specific reasons to remove a child from its family. They include, "if
the child has been, or is likely to be," harmed physically, sexually,
emotionally or if the child is deprived of necessary care or abandoned.

Jagrup Brar, NDP MLA for Surrey-Panorama, said ministry staff don't
have the personnel to deal with the children.

"Social workers have absolutely no capacity to deal with these
children," Brar said Wednesday. "The case load is too high, resources
are very, very limited because of the massive funding cuts to the ministry."

Brar questioned whether any of the children were removed from their homes.

"I doubt the ministry will determine these children as high risk
because they don't have the capacity to deal with them," Brar said.
"Even if the kids were taken, they would have been let go, probably
in a few hours."

One source told The Leader she has a relative whose grow-op was
busted "four or five times." In each case, the children were taken
away until new accommodation was found, then returned to the family.

Penny Priddy, NDP MP for Surrey-North, believes social workers are in
an extremely tough position.

Priddy, who was the provincial minister of children and families from
1996 to 1998, said children living in grow operations are in danger
of respiratory problems and are at higher risk of being in a house
fire, which could be a case for physical harm.

Unfortunately, "there are far more (situations) that would be above
this one - far more egregious."

Even in some of the worst circumstances, children are screaming for
parents when they're taken away, she said.

This week, Surrey's municipal grow op team doubled, meaning the
number of calls to the ministry is also expected to increase.

And when other municipalities start similar programs, the provincial
service could be flooded with calls.

Priddy suggested the province will have to get extremely innovative
in how it will deal with that volume.

Calls to B.C. Minister of Children and Family Development Tom
Christensen were not returned by Leader press time Thursday.