GROW-OP OPERATORS DISCOVER IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC SAFETY

So your next-door neighbours aren't the most sociable people. Their
curtains are drawn, their lawn might be a little rough, and their gutters
could possibly use a good cleaning.

It's so quiet there, except for a rare nighttime or daytime visit, you'd
think it was a grow-op.

And if it is, watch out!

In the name of public safety, the City of Abbotsford's newly introduced
grow-op pilot project, with funding of $80,000 from the provincial
government, is taking a wildly unique approach to dealing with a scourge
that has been growing like bad weeds in the community for far too long.

Here's how it works. Brandishing equipment that senses excessive heat,
specially appointed city officials will scan homes from the outside to see
if they house a grow-op.

If indications are ripe that there is a grow-op, city staff will knock on
each door, and if someone is home, enter the property, investigate, and
inform the occupants/owners whether their humble abode contravenes public
safety hazard standards and what fines and fees will be assessed.

No charges will be laid because the city realizes the justice system has
simply allowed a revolving door for criminals involved in the business of
grow-ops.

City options, however, include cutting off the water supply, ensuring a
home is brought back to its full structural glory after a grow-op has been
removed, and slapping on the tax bill any unpaid charges, ultimately giving
the city an opportunity to seize the property should the offending parties
decide not to pay up. Police will also be kept abreast of grow-op activities.

The $10,000 heat-sensitive cameras and safety hazard pilot project are
formidable tools in flushing out the misery that has infiltrated
neighbourhoods rich and poor in the city.

Why are grow-ops a safety hazard? Chances of a fire in a home with one is
40 per cent higher, according to a University College of the Fraser Valley
probe into the subject. The study also found that at least 15 per cent of
marijuana grow-ops contain weapons, explosives and chemical products.

Grow-op operators putting anyone's life at risk, from a baby in a crib next
door to a firefighter answering another grow-op fire call, are being sent a
clear message: If you don't care about public safety, then the city is
coming after you.

It's a common-sense issue that grow-op operators and property owners are
going to struggle to get their minds around.