DRUGS LEAVE LANDLORD IRATE

Jules Dion is going to screen potential tenants for his eight-unit
apartment building on Lorne Street a lot more carefully now.

That's because Dion ended up with tenants in four units in recent
months whom he believes were drug users, a situ-at ion that arose, he
claims, because he didn't check out applicants' rent histories and
backgrounds more thoroughly.

"Landlords, be careful who you are renting to," said Dion, who is now
down to one problem tenant, whom he is in the process of evicting.

"The last three months, I went through a nightmare. I couldn't believe
it was that bad. And the police couldn't do anything."

Not only was there an incredible number of people coming and going
through the building as a result of the problem tenants' units (two
people shared one unit and split the rent, explained Dion), but some
of his good tenants, fearing for their safety, opted to leave.

As a result of the suspected drug activity, said Dion, damage
frequently occurred to doors and furniture in the eight-unit apartment
building.

"They did a lot of damage too," he said. "They broke the doors and
locks. They broke a deep freeze I lent to a tenant."

Used intravenous needles were frequently found littering the hallways,
he said.

While cleaning out three of the problem units after those tenants were
gone, Dion said he found numerous intravenous needles lying around.

Dion, who has owned the building for 40 years, said he contacted
Greater Sudbury Police about the drug use he suspected was going on,
but was told not much could be done.

He said his experience has him thinking that Canada's drug laws need
to get tougher.

"It's not the fault of Sudbury (police) at all," he said. "The law is
useless ... According to police, they have to catch the person putting
in the needle."

Dion said it's just as important for the law to come down hard on drug
users as it is on the drug dealers in order to eradicate the illegal
drug trade.

"I told police you are arresting the dealers, but how about the users
buying the drug?" he asked.

"They should be getting and receiving discipline."

As a result of his experience, Dion said he is going to campaign the
federal and provincial governments to toughen drug laws.

Const. Bert Lapalme, of Greater Sudbury Police, said police have a
difficult job to do when it comes to cracking down on individuals
involved in illegal drug activity.

"There are guidelines that have to be followed and human rights which
need to be considered," he said.

"There has to be reasonable and probable grounds, not just
suspicion."

Lapalme acknowledged landlords have a tough job these
days.

"It's always been a difficult time for someone who is a landlord," he
said. "Even their way of screening people is limited."

Lapalme said by and large, problem tenants are a minority in the
city.

"That's a small percentage of the tenants out there," he said. "There
are a lot of good tenants. Some of the landlords wish they (good
tenants) would never leave."

Lapalme offered advice to landlords who suspect drug activity is
occurring in their building: "Either report it to police or remain
anonymous and report it to Crime Stoppers," he said.

"The complaint will come through. To what extent the complaint will be
acted upon, that depends on what evidence the Drug Unit comes up with."