BYLAW TARGETS GROW-OPS

Marijuana grow operations bylaws are proliferating rapidly in
municipalities across British Columbia.

Just this month, the City of Chilliwack enacted a bylaw dealing with
grow-ops and drug-related problems in rental houses in that community.

A similar bylaw is currently being discussed at Kamloops City Hall.

"[The idea of a grow-op bylaw] came to our attention through a resident,"
said Mayor Mel Rothenburger.

He added that the Kamloops bylaw, should it be enacted, will probably be
modelled on a similar one in Surrey.

In 2001, Surrey city council passed a bylaw making owners of homes with
grow-ops liable for incurred cleanup costs up to $5,000.

The same bylaw, called the community improvement and noxious or offensive
trade bylaw, also enables inspectors to enter a rental property if a
grow-op is suspected on the premises.

Although not yet familiar with the details of the draft bylaw currently
being drawn up by the city administration, Rothenburger said that such a
bylaw would put the responsibility on landlords to ensure that their
tenants don't use the property for grow-ops.

"Grow-ops are a concern here, just as in other communities," Rothenburger
said. "[The bylaw] would be a tool for enforcement."

The draft bylaw will be presented to the council police committee at its
next meeting in September and could come before council later that month.

Coun. Terry Lake, a member of the police committee, said he is familiar
with the need for grow-op bylaws and the controversy surrounding them.

"It is apparent that there are more grow-ops than we know about," he said,
and added that the purpose of a grow-op bylaw would be to deal with the
problem before it becomes widespread.

At the same time, he said that bylaws such as the one enacted in Surrey
"can be onerous bylaws for landlords."

Landlord organizations, such as the Rental Owners and Managers Association
of British Columbia (ROMA), have criticized grow-op bylaws in the past,
arguing that it is unfair to charge landlords with the costs for the
cleanup. Similarly, the Tenants' Rights Action Coalition (TRAC) has spoken
out against grow-op bylaws, saying that they could compromise a tenant's
privacy.

However, Lake said that it is not the intent of the bylaw to make life
difficult for property owners, but rather to address a problem.