ALDERMAN CONDEMNS GROW HOUSES

Vacated Drug Properties Could Face Wrecking Ball If Owners Don't Step
In And Clean Them Up

Shuttered marijuana grow-ops staining Calgary neighbourhoods could
soon be facing the wrecking ball if owners refuse to clean them up.

With 99 active former grow-ops spread throughout the city, some
vacant since 2005, Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart wants the city to step
in and demolish the potentially dangerous homes whose owners won't
remediate them and cover the costs by acquiring the properties.

"The fact of the matter is it's unacceptable that these condemned
properties can just sit there in these neighbourhoods for two or
three years," she said.

"What we need to do is find out who owns these properties and give
them a period of time to clean them up or they'll be bulldozed and
the cost will be reduced by acquiring the property."

An online registry of former grow-ops compiled by Alberta Health
Services (AHS) lists 419 inactive files in Calgary in addition to the
99 active properties that dot dozens of neighbourhoods, primarily the suburbs.

Colley-Urquhart, who sits on the Stop Grow Ops Calgary Coalition
board, said often the owners of former drug houses are nothing more
than numbered companies, making them difficult to pursue for remediation costs.

And without clean up, the condemned homes can sit for years with a
likelihood of structural damage and contamination from chemicals used
in drug processing.

"There are all kinds of hazards with these neighbourhood drug
factories and we can't have these things sitting condemned and vacant
for years," Colley-Urquhart said.

Ald. Brian Pincott said while the notion of condemned houses with any
number of potential health hazards is a concern, leaving demolished
properties in the middle of family neighbourhoods with no future
plans could create just as many problems.

"We've got a building closed up and we go in and knock it down and
have a hole in the ground and what happens then?" he asked.

Colley-Urquhart said she's still working with fire Chief Bruce
Burrell to hammer out a plan to deal with the vacated grow-ops.

She said she is planning to come to council with a motion to address
them this year.