POT FINES WORTH $763,080 TO CITY

The City of Chilliwack may not be making money off of marijuana, but
its five-year-old fine and fee scheme has stemmed the costs associated
with pot grow-ops.

The city has collected three-quarters of a million dollars in fees and
fines since it introduced an anti-marijuana-growing bylaw in 2004.

The bylaw was called the toughest such legislation when it was
introduced in 2004. Chilliwack had become a hub for British Columbia's
marijuana industry and the city was finding that many landlords were
not taking the steps necessary to protect their properties from a
growing scourge.

In the five-and-a-half years since the bylaw was introduced, the city
has counted 230 grow-ops and taken in $763,080 in various inspection
fees and fines.

Mayor Sharon Gaetz said the bylaw has allowed the city to recoup the
costs of inspecting homes that have been used for grow-ops and
certifying that they can again be occupied.

Gaetz said that since the bylaw was implemented, landlords and
neighbours have become more aware about the hazards, and signs, of
grow-ops.

"I think if they're not [aware of the risk of grow-ops], they're in
the wrong business," said Gaetz of landlords. "I think everybody knows
the story now of someone who has been stung."

Landlords, said Gaetz, "have become a lot more careful about checking
and they have neighbours looking out for them.

"People have become very good at spotting grow-ops. We're getting
calls from the neighbourhood."

The city cannot punish the criminal aspect of grow-ops--that falls to
the court system. But it does have the authority to ensure buildings
meet health and safety standards, and to punish the owners of those
homes that endanger the public through illegal and unsanctioned uses
like grow-ops.

That's where the bylaw comes in. There is a $10,000 fine that the city
can levy, but it requires a lengthy legal process and has not yet been
used. Instead, the city opts for smaller fees and fines for bylaw
enforcement and inspections that certify a home is safe to live in.

When a grow-op is found, an inspection is carried out, during which
problems stemming from the production of drugs are normally found.
Sometimes grow houses will feature custom-made holes in the wall,
improvised security systems or lots and lots of mould. Such homes will
have their occupancy permit rescinded. Building owners must then bring
the homes up to a livable standard.

Homeowners who are responsible, and who can show they have checked
their property within three months of the discovery of a grow
operation, can avoid some of the fees and fines.

Gaetz said it is impossible to measure how many grow-ops operate in
Chilliwack because many are never found. But she said the number of
grow houses seems to be tapering off.

"Can we best them all?" she asked. "Probably not. But we're doing our
best."

Chilliwack RCMP busted 30 grow houses in 2008 and 36 in 2009.