COUNCILLOR LED CHARGE FOR GROW HOUSE PROTOCOL

SCARBOROUGH Councillor Mike Del Grande is relieved the City of Toronto
has moved to make property owners responsible for cleaning up busted
grow houses. But he says there is still a long way to go.

And he still has concerns about the hundreds of grow-ops busted in
north Scarborough in the past few years that were put on the resale
market or rented out without any meaningful structural and
environmental assessments.

"The people renting don't know any better. I have gone into these
places and talked with them ... these people are all immigrants ...
and they have no clue, no at all what kind of place they are living
in," Del Grande said.

Del Grande is still upset that in the past year or so disconnected
government agencies and politicians have done "nothing but talk and
talk" while the problem grew bigger and bigger.

"The reason why these things are popping up all over the place is the
bad guys know we are so inept as a government and they are just
laughing," Del Grande said.

Del Grande has no doubts that an untold number of mould-infested
homes are now occupied by unsuspecting families who have babies and
infant children.

He suspects people are suffering health problems they cannot
pinpoint.

Del Grande said until the city moved to shut down occupancy unless the
owners pass structural and environmental assessments, many former grow
ups were just patched up and put back on the market "and there is no
follow-up on the health side."

While most agencies have agreed there is a problem, trying to get
concerted action is "like trying to pull teeth," he said.

"I am scratching my head ... what protection are we offering the
citizens of Toronto. I get annoyed at the public health department ...
they stick their nose into everything instead of what is right in
front of their nose."

Amid a lot of pushing from Del Grande, city council earlier this year
gave Toronto's municipal licensing and standards department head Pam
Coburn a wide-ranging mandate to bring together police, fire, hydro
and public health officials and draw up an operational protocol on
grow houses.

Since Oct. 29, the owners of 15 former grow homes have been ordered to
cease any occupancy of the home until the owners perform structural
and environmental assessments.

He added that the mortgage, insurance and real estate agencies must
now "get their act together" to stop criminal organizations from
exploiting their fragmented systems.

Del Grande said controversial lawn signs which outline the order will
still be erected for five days following a bust.

Environmental inspector Frank Haverkate said the move to order
inspections and sign the properties is "the right thing."

"I have had countless calls and done inspections on countless homes
where people have bought grow houses that were not disclosed ... these
poor people are hysterical. In a lot of cases they are crying."

Peter Gauthier, a senior staff member with the Toronto Public Health
department, said his unit investigates "complaints" of mould on a case
by case basis, whether it be in an owner-occupied or rental situation.

He said grow house mould is treated in the same way regular mould
problems are.

Gauthier acknowledged there is no plan for grow houses.

He said home buyers can protect themselves in a purchase agreement.