GROW-OP GROWING CONCERN IN CITY

The murder of four RCMP officers at a marijuana grow operation should serve
as a warning to Calgarians, says the alderman leading the fight against
city pot cultivators. Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart said the deaths could just
as easily happen here, where police estimate there are more than 3,000
home-based grow operations, the majority connected to organized crime.

"Something like this could happen in Calgary, and the potential for tragedy
is there," said Colley-Urquhart, who is leading a task force dedicated to
wiping out grow ops.

"People need to realize this is a serious problem, not some ma-and-pa
operation -- this is big-time crime, and you never know what you'll find
when police take down a house."

Federal Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said yesterday the government
is open to reviewing grow-op punishments.

"We are open to significant and potentially wide-ranging amendments," she said.

A proposed bill would provide a 14-year maximum for penalty for grow-operators.