TENANT TURNED NICE FAMILY HOME INTO MARIJUANA GROW-OP; 'WE LOST
EVERYTHING,' FRUSTRATED HOME OWNER SAYS

House Left In Ruins

A letter from Tay Township informing Christy Vollrath that her home
had been condemned was the first time she was alerted to a problem.

And it was far too late.

"(The township) told us that was normal procedure when homes are
raided for a marijuana grow-op," Vollrath told The Packet. "At that
point, we lost everything."

For two years, Vollrath, along with her husband and son, lived in the
one-storey brick home at 1219 Gratrix Rd. in Waubaushene off Vasey
Road near Coldwater.

A work transfer in 2006 sent Vollrath, a correctional officer, to Edmonton.

The family needed to sell their home quickly because they couldn't
afford to pay two mortgages.

When a sale fell through, another man offered to rent-to-own the property.

"We took it because we were trying to build a life (in Edmonton.) We
needed the extra money," Vollrath said.

Vollrath used a real estate agent as her property manager because she
was already in Edmonton.

"It came as a shock to us because from 2006 to 2008, as far as we
were concerned, everything was fine. We were getting the rent
payments," Vollrath said. "We had no issues whatsoever with the tenant."

Vollrath received the township's letter on June 19, 2008.

"I didn't understand. We had no idea why the house would be condemned."

In calling the OPP, she learned her home was raided on June 4, 2008
by Collingwood OPP, Orillia OPP and Mnjikaning Police.

Close to 4,000 marijuana plants with a street value of $74,000 were
seized, along with $46,000 worth of equipment.

Vollrath said she was told by police the operation was "highly sophisticated."

Two days after receiving Tay Township's letter, the family flew back
to Ontario to assess the damage.

"There was mould in the basement on the drywall. The garage was full
of garbage from top to bottom. The property had grass that was taller
than us in some places, garbage in the flower beds, pot plants in the
swimming pool," Vollrath said.

The family was left with little choice. Face foreclosure or make the repairs.

The family spent three weeks dealing with the major repairs --
basically gutting the entire home.

The decision to fix the home in hopes of selling it split the family
geographically.

Vollrath and her then eight-year-old son moved back to Waubaushene.
Her job was transferred back to a Gravenhurst correctional facility.

Because he couldn't find comparable work in Ontario, Vollrath's
husband stayed in Edmonton.

"We needed that money," Vollrath said.

During the time away from her husband, Vollrath says she had a
nervous breakdown.

"It put added stress on both of us," she said.

Vollrath moved back to Edmonton in November 2009 after she
interviewed and approved another tenant.

That tenant ended up housing horses in the backyard -- which wasn't
allowed based on zoning.

The home has now been sitting empty since October.

"We can't go through more tenants and fixing. We have just been
trying to sell it," Vollrath said.

Selling a home that has been used to grow marijuana has not been simple.

"Because of the stigma," Vollrath said. "You have to legally disclose
that it was a marijuana grow-op. People low-ball you (on the price)."

Prior to the marijuana damage, the home was worth $215,000.

The family still owes $142,000 on the mortgage and spent $100,000 to
repair the home.

Vollrath says that every day she thinks about what happened.

"Right now, we're living day-to-day because we are paying the
mortgage out there plus we have a house out here in Edmonton."

The house in Edmonton is rent-to-own since the family cannot afford
another mortgage.

"We can't afford to buy due to everything that has happened here in
the past three years," Vollrath said.

Other bills have also been put aside.

"We need to catch up," said Vollrath, who is now seeing a psychologist.

"There is a lot of stress. It's a thing that just won't go away."

It was the property manager who interviewed the man who was
renting-to-own the property. Vollrath was told the tenant was a
30-year-old father who had custody of his children on weekends. She
heard he owned his own construction business.

"The property manager was supposed to be doing all of the research to
make sure he was on the up and up. I don't know if he didn't do it
right or if things were not disclosed. I'm not too sure."

The property manager checked in on the house every month for the
first year-and-a-half. He was let go after that as Vollrath and her
husband decided to have family members check on their house.

"We didn't really need him. We had friends keeping an eye on the property."

Vollrath says she doesn't know how no one noticed the damage taking place.

The family tried to get compensation for repairs through the federal
Office for Victims of Crime, but learned they had to have applied
within 90 days of the raid.

On Oct. 29, 2010 Steve Niskanen pled guilty in Durham court to
production of marijuana in Tay Township. He was given a nine-month
conditional sentence and a 10-year weapons forfeiture order.

"He is going to be free in July to live his life as he wishes. I
might be filing bankruptcy," Vollrath said.

"I don't think it's fair that we suffer while he is free and clear."