DRUG LAB CLEANUP COSTS MOUNT FAST

Owner Of A Building Where RCMP Allege Date-Rape Drug Was Being Made
Could Face A Huge Bill For Police Time

The owner of a commercial building in central Nanaimo where police
spent days dismantling a suspected date-rape drug lab could be hit
with a massive bill for cleanup and enforcement costs.

Enacted in 2006, the city's controlled substance and cost recovery
bylaw has been used to force the owners of marijuana-growing
operations to cover cleanup and enforcement expenses. This is the
first time it has been used in connection with a drug-manufacturing
lab, according to city bylaw manager Randy Churchill.

City, fire and police costs to clean up a single drug lab could easily
top $100,000, according to an earlier estimate by RCMP.

In the latest incident on McGarrigle Road, about a dozen RCMP officers
were on site from late Thursday afternoon until Saturday night. Due to
the volatile nature of chemicals used to manufacture drugs, and the
discovery of what may have been explosives, both the hazardous
material team and bomb squad were brought in from Vancouver.

Fire officials were also on standby, as the chemicals posed a risk of
explosion.

The hourly rates charged to have different fire and police officials
on-site could double depending on the time of day and equipment they
needed. A single fire engine could cost $250 an hour.

"(The high cost) is a major deterrent," said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman
Const. Gary O'Brien yesterday. "It's also to keep landlords on their
toes."

Similar bylaws have passed in Langley and Duncan.

If the property owner suspects or finds a grow-op or drug lab on their
property and reports it to police, they may only be responsible for
remediation costs. There is a process the city can use if owners
cannot pay. "The citizens shouldn't have to pay the bill to clean up,"
said bylaw enforcement officer Tim Davidson. "Chemicals can be a lot
more money (to clean up) than marijuana (grow-ops)."

Police say the McGarrigle incident is the first of such labs found in
the city in the past three years.

The property is considered hazardous and cannot be rented until it is
remediated.

City supervisor of building inspections Ralph Topliffe said a
consultant will examine things such as residue on glass and walls to
determine the next steps.

The investigation, launched by Transport Canada when investigators
believed chemicals were to be shipped on an airline, found several
chemicals that are used in the production of GHB, commonly known as
the date-rape drug. Police are recommending charges of production of a
controlled substance against a 36-year-old man.