POT CONTAMINATION STILL FESTERS

Not a single contaminated marijuana grow-op site in the Cariboo has
been cleaned up since an RCMP crackdown started six months ago.

According to sources within the MOE who did not want to be named,
there are two main issues preventing the cleanup of these sites, which
are riddled with improperly stored pesticides, herbicides,
fertilizers, fuels (especially diesel), and other chemicals. In some
cases it has all been dumped into a central pond which turns toxic. In
all cases the cleanup requires specialized equipment and expertise.

The sources said there was a dispute as to which sub-branch of the MOE
should pay for it.

Even more wrenching was the legal question about what authority the
provincial government had to step onto private property and force the
cleanup.

"The ministry does not have the mandate to clean polluted sites," said
MOE spokesman Colin Grewar. "This means that responsibility rests with
the land owner. However we do perform risk assessments and identify
any high priority sites that could be a threat to public safety."

With local MLA Shirley Bond named to the position of Solicitor General
and Minister of Public Safety, things may change for the better, said
Cariboo North independent MLA Bob Simpson.

"I feel it is a nice match for us," said Simpson. "I think she's shown
that she's a quick study on every portfolio she gets."

The duty to pay for environmental degradation falls to the landowner
in more than just cases of dangerous environmental
degradation.

"While there's no question that grow-ops can in some cases represent a
risk to the environment, this risk varies from site to site," said
Grewar.

The cost of fighting a forest fire can be billed back to whomever
caused the blaze, and firefighters can do that work on private
property without the need for permission.

"Generally speaking, when spills occur in British Columbia, taxpayers
are shielded from the burden of paying for cleanup," said Grewar.

"The ministry requires the polluter to restore the site. The challenge
with grow-ops is that the 'responsible party' has often disappeared.
In the case of crown land, jurisdiction is complex and we are working
with other ministries towards a co-ordinated approach to the problem."

Critics argue that leaving these sites so long without treatment is
putting great risk on the local wildlife, livestock, groundwater
systems, and any unsuspecting people who are wandering around on rural
backcountry properties.

More of these sites are expected to be discovered by police. The
Cariboo Region Integrated Marijuana Enforcement task force is blitzing
grow-ops from Prince George to 100 Mile House. They have found 35 in
their first six months and have six more months of operations at least.

"It is nearly impossible to grow marijuana in the way that they
[organized crime plantation operators] do without causing some kind of
contamination," said Darryl Plecas, a crime expert and professor with
University of the Fraser Valley who is studying this Cariboo grow-op
wave.

"It is difficult to ask for more resources, but we definitely have a
situation here where there is an imbalance between the level of
resources and the level of need."