CITY BILLS OWNERS $50,000 OVER GROW-OPS

Nanaimo is one of a growing number of municipalities that pass on
police and cleanup costs to property owners

The City of Nanaimo has billed more than $50,000 to owners of
properties that housed marijuana growing-operations.

Enacted in 2006, the city's controlled substance and cost-recovery
bylaw has been used to force owners to pay cleanup and enforcement
costs associated with grow-ops and drug labs.

For the first time, the bylaw will be now used in connection with an
reported drug-manufacturing lab, after police spent days dismantling
a suspected date-rape drug lab on McGarrigle Road last week.

The Nanaimo bylaw, one of the first of its kind when it was adopted
on Vancouver Island, generated interest from several other B.C. communities.

It was passed shortly after the Nanaimo RCMP green team, a squad of
undercover officers who focus solely on stopping marijuana
production, was assembled.

Several municipalities have since passed similar bylaws, including
Langford and Duncan.

Police and city officials say the high cost of cleaning up criminal
activity can be a major deterrent for owners, who are ultimately held
accountable for what goes on at their property. City officials also
say it is not a cost that should be picked up by taxpayers.

The amount billed has consistently shrunk since the city began in
2007, which accounted for $20,800. So far this year, the city has
billed $13,000.

"It became necessary to look at who pays the cost," said city Coun.
Merv Unger. "If it isn't a deterrent, at least taxpayers aren't stuck
with the bill for criminal activity."

Since 2006, the city has billed $51,194 to roughly 30 property owners
for grow-ops.

The city has so far collected only $31,588 of the costs it has
billed, but will eventually collect because if the owner cannot or
will not pay, the outstanding bill becomes part of property taxes.

City officials say it is not a profit, since the cleanup often
requires specialized teams.

These figures do not include costs associated with the McGarrigle
Road lab, which police, including hazardous material and bomb squad
officers, spent nearly three days to dismantle.

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

City officials say it will take weeks to tally that bill, but RCMP
earlier estimated costs to clean up a single drug lab could top $100,000.