CITY HALL ENDORSES POT BUSTING TACTIC

Enthused by the results of two pilot projects aimed at getting rid of
marijuana grow operations, city councillors are pushing for the
province to get involved.

The city has been watching projects in Abbotsford and Surrey where
fire fighters and inspectors take a role in pushing out pot growers.
At Monday's council meeting, the councillors contemplated developing
their own bylaw, but decided first they should hit the province with
the idea to come up with something with more substance.

So, they drafted a resolution to be brought up at the Union of B.C.
Municipalities forum in September asking for a province-wide approach
based on the pilots.

The problem's not isolated to one community," said Coun. Sharon
Shepherd. We should be requesting it all come under one mandate."

Deputy clerk Stephen Fleming said there are some problems with one
approach, since different municipalities have different systems.

As an example, he pointed out that Surrey has its own electrical
inspectors that can slap a notice on the door, but in most other
areas the electrical inspectors come under provincial auspices. That
would have to be coordinated at the provincial level somehow.

In Surrey, the inspectors and fire fighters can check up on homes
where there is an electrical bypass setup or there are concerns about
safety, giving the inspectors and fire department authority to post
notices on the doors demanding the right of access within 48 hours
for safety and electrical inspections.

Usually, the grow ops were gone before they returned. In three
months, 118 grow operations were shut down, compared to 75 grow
operations shut down by the RCMP's seven-member team.

In Abbotsford 12 grow ops went down in its first month by using the
B.C. Building Code and the Fire Services Act to demand inspections.