RIDGE PLANS NEW SLATE OF FINES

Getting caught growing pot, owning a dangerous dog or building a pool
without a permit will soon be more expensive in Maple Ridge.

The district council has approved the first three readings of a new
bylaw adding new ticketing offenses and increasing the fines for
several old ones. The bylaw is expected to pass final reading and come
into force in mid-September.

The changes are the result of a recent switch in provincial government
policy.

Until this year, every time a municipality wanted to create a
ticketing bylaw, they had to have the bylaw approved by the chief
judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia, even for fines as
little as $5.

"We didn't always get the blessing of the chief judge," said Brock
McDonald, the district's director of business licenses, permits and
bylaws.

The new legislation allows municipalities to create ticket bylaws, and
to fine residents up to $1,000, without provincial approval.

The new fines include an entire category for the recently created
anti-grow operation bylaw. The bylaw was created to target the owners
of properties, whether rental or otherwise, used for growing marijuana.

The fines target specific problems with grow operations, including a
$1,000 fine for obstructing an exit or removing fire stopping structures.

Other fines include $500 for diverting or installing exhaust vents
unlawfully and $500 for causing or allowing the growth of mold, fungus
or a controlled substance.

There are also more than a dozen fineable offenses that are to be
ticketed at $200 or $250, all linked to the way grow operations are
frequently managed.