OFF THE MARK

A new bylaw being considered by West Vancouver would essentially hold
property owners responsible for marijuana grow operations set up by their
tenants.

It's easy to see how some people might think this is a good idea. Police
have long been pressuring municipalities to adopt such measures in their
efforts to curb grow ops.

But adopting such a bylaw is probably a lot more problematic than most
people think.

The bylaw assumes that most landlords have a good idea of what's going on
on their property or could easily find out with a few simple checks.

But usually that's not true.

Most marijuana grow operators don't advertise their activities. Many of
today's grow ops are also fairly sophisticated, tucked away in basement
rooms and attics.

They use equipment like ozonators to get rid of telltale smells.

Tenants - most of whom are not pot growers - also have certain rights to
privacy. That means landlords can't just waltz in unannounced.

Instead of blaming the landlords - who we'd assume also aren't interested
in having their property wrecked by grow ops - it might be more useful to
educate them about what to watch for and when to alert police about
suspicious activity.

Attempting to hold landlords responsible for criminal activities that take
place on their property is legally questionable. It's also a slippery slope
with the potential to impact many law-abiding tenants.