MAYOR TAKES NOTE OF NEW ANTI-GROW OP BYLAW

Prospective home buyers and tenants received an additional measure of
protection in Surrey thanks to a new bylaw that Richmond Mayor
Malcolm Brodie believes may be worthy for local consideration.

The bylaw would alert them that a home has been deemed structurally
or electrically unsound via a notation placed on the city tax notice.
When told of the new bylaw Wednesday, Brodie said it may be worth
having a look.

"We've (received) a great deal of information and insight from what
the other cities have done, so I'm certainly not averse to taking a
look to see what any city is doing in this regard," Brodie said.

"But off hand, I think that that would be a good idea to take a
careful look at."

Surrey's bylaw also protects future homeowners from buying a house
with problems such as mold that will appear months after the purchase.

"I think that there's two elements that immediately jump out. The
first one...is community safety. I think it is important to know
whether there has been a grow-up in a place...

"In addition to the safety is the health because there may be health
factors about that house that need to be addressed...A party renting
that house should probably be aware of the past use of the house so
that they can (do) their due diligence to make sure that there's no
health risk in that house," he said.

"Off hand, I think it sounds like it's something we should be
investigating and draw on the experience of Surrey to see how they've
found it and then we can make our own decisions."

The Surrey bylaw applies to homeowners whose property is used for
illegal drug operations. It hits them in the pocketbook, requiring
new measures to be completed before a house can be resold.

Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts described the new bylaw as "part of the
puzzle" in choking off illegal drug operations.

"We have to do everything we can to stop methamphetamine from getting
in our kids."

Homes turned grow ops will be declared uninhabitable by the city and
the registered owner will be required to:

Utilize certified companies to conduct a safety inspection to ensure
the property is "clear of any toxic dangers, such as mold, fungus and
toxic fumes;

arrange for an independent inspection with a report submitted to the
city attesting to its structural integrity.

- -with files from Kevin Diakiw, Surrey Leader