CITY APPLIES PRESSURE ON GROW-OPS

The City of Abbotsford is thinking safety first as it intensifies the
pressure on marijuana growers to get the upper hand in the pot power
struggle.

Abbotsford Mayor Mary Reeves announced the launch of the Grow Op
Public Safety Pilot Project on Thursday - an initiative aimed at
eliminating the health and safety risks she says are tied to marijuana
grow operations.

"Next to SE2, there is no issue that has more dramatically impacted
our neighbourhoods and communities (than grow-ops)," Reeves told a
crowd that included city staff, provincial politicians, and
representatives from the Abbotsford fire and police
departments.

The city was granted $80,000 from the provincial government to
establish the 90-day pilot project, which it is estimated will pay for
itself after that time due to the fines and fees that will be charged
to offenders.

The project starts immediately and involves three specially-appointed
city officials travelling around Abbotsford's streets.

Using equipment that senses excessive heat, they will scan homes from
the outside to determine whether there is a grow-op inside.

If they suspect there is, the staff would knock on the door of the
home, and if there is an answer, act under the provincial Community
Charter to enter the property on the grounds of it being a public
safety hazard.

If there is no answer, crews would return 24 hours later.

The city does not have the power to press criminal charges. However,
it can contact the police and ask them to act.

And the city does have other options open to it - many of which fall
under the recently-approved controlled substance property bylaw. These
measures include cutting the water supply to reduce the viability of a
crop.

When the grow-op is cleared out, the bylaw would then force a property
owner to make home improvements that bring it 100 per cent back to the
recommended building code.

Unpaid charges would be charged to the property tax bill, and if left
unpaid, could result in the city seizing the property.

"There is no limit to what we can charge and all the costs will be
charged back (to the owner)," Reeves explained.

The target area will be "the whole City of Abbotsford," Reeves said,
adding that she hopes other cities will adopt similar measures.

To make her point, Reeves highlighted one recent case where a person
hoping to buy a new home viewed 15 houses - 13 of which had previously
contained grow-ops.

"The criminal justice system in some ways has been failing us," she
said.

"We are not interested in laying charges because nothing happens to
them anyway. What we are interested in is making sure neighbourhoods
are safe."

According to the city, a recent University College of the Fraser
Valley study highlighted that at least 15 per cent of marijuana
grow-ops contain explosives, chemical products or weapons.

That same study pointed out that the likelihood of a fire is 40 per
cent greater in a home containing a grow-op.