COUNCILLORS DECLARE WAR ON POT GROW HOUSES

MP Jim Karygiannis (Scarborough-Agincourt) is unapologetic about his
practice of canvassing the streets of his riding for suspected
marijuana grow houses, despite the fact that police say the politician
is putting himself and investigations at risk by doing so.

"I'm working with the police and working with the stakeholders to get
rid of these," Karygiannis said. "They've got some concerns and I
understand their concerns and I will keep on working with all the
stakeholders."

Karygiannis made the comments after it was revealed that he and Ward
39 Councillor Mike Del Grande (Scarborough-Agincourt) have been
canvassing neighbourhoods in the northwest Scarborough community to
root out illegal grow houses.

Del Grande didn't return calls from the Guardian.

But Karygiannis said he and Del Grande have been going door to door in
neighbourhoods, asking constituents if they've noticed any problems.
And when they hear that a neighbouring house might be being used as an
incubator for marijuana, Karygiannis said he doesn't hesitate to knock
on the door to see.

"If there's a grow house, we'll knock on that door," he said. "If he's
a constituent, I will represent (him) if it's not a suspected grow
house. If it is, I call the police."

However, the Liberal MP and the city councillor's activities have
police worried.

"I don't know how much danger they're putting themselves in, but they
have an opportunity to be walking in to a police operation," said 42
Division Staff Supt. Tony Warr. "If they tick some people off, who
knows what reaction they'll get. And now their pictures are all over
the TV screen. I hate to see anything happen - we had that incident
out west with the four Mounties. You just don't know who these people
are. And if they go inside one of these operations, there's a health
hazard. We wear biohazard suits when we go in."

Warr said that while he "applaud(s) their energy and dedication," the
two politicians should leave policing to the police and concentrate on
giving investigators more resources to deal with the increasing problem.

"I much prefer if they'd use their energies getting some better laws
and more resources and let us do the job," he said. Marijuana grow
operations are big business in Toronto communities. Last year, 140 of
the 320 grow op busts occurred in Scarborough. According to Staff
Insp. Dan Hayes, who heads up the Toronto Police Service's drug squad,
Scarborough is an attractive location for grow operations for a
variety of reasons.

"It's a number of factors," he said. "Part (of it) is the demographics
of north Scarborough and the type of houses that are suited for grow
ops are favoured in the Scarborough area -- larger detached homes with
unfinished basements and entry through the garage."

Hayes said that officers - or politicians - attempting entry face a
variety of dangers. While firearms are found only rarely on the sites,
frequently the operators will booby trap the property - electrifying
bars on basement windows or doors that are wired to spray noxious
substances when they're opened.

"Then there are the dangers presented by amateur and unsafe wiring,
and the high-intensity lights they need that produce a great deal of
heat," he said. "It's a risk that (the politicians) shouldn't be
taking. If they suspect a grow op they should report it to the police."

Karygiannis said he does exactly that -- and advises constituents to
do the same. And he said he has been working hard in Ottawa and
locally to bring as many resources and legal boosts as he can to
police in their battle against illegal grow operations.

But he reiterated that he would continue to be vigilant in his
riding.

"I'm going to keep on canvassing and talking to my constituents," he
said. "If a constituent raises an alarm I'll deal with it. If you're
canvassing a street, talking to constituents, talking to a person who
elected you -- if the signs are there you call the police."