ANTI-POT BYLAW STEP CLOSER

Chilliwack's marijuana bylaw - officially called the Nuisance, Noxious, or
Offensive Trades Health and Safety bylaw - is expected to finally be
adopted at the next city council meeting Aug. 16.

"We're ready to roll," says Councillor Sharon Gaetz, head of the city's
public safety committee, which has been nurturing the marijuana bylaw to
its final form with the help of city lawyers.

Coun. Gaetz and Mayor Clint Hames have been inundated this week with
interview requests around the bylaw from national and provincial media, and
they hope the coverage drives home the message to marijuana growers that
Chilliwack is no longer fertile ground.

The bylaw, called the toughest in the province with a maximum $10,000 fine,
has been in the works since February but was first promised by city
officials back in June, 2002, after a study by the University College of
the Fraser Valley showed Chilliwack had the second-highest rate of
marijuana grow operations per capita in the province. Police had discovered
177 grow operations in Chilliwack in 2000, according to the study, compared
to 199 in Nanaimo.

Last year, the police executed 60 search warrants at suspected grow-ops in
Chilliwack, seizing 32,000 marijuana plants and arresting more than 100 people.

Ms. Gaetz says the number of grow-ops busted so far this year has dropped
to 38, suggesting the city's get-tough policy on marijuana growers is working.

The Chilliwack bylaw requires landlords to inspect rental properties every
three months, report suspected grow-ops to authorities and clean up the
premises after a grow-op is discovered.

But the city isn't going after landlords, insists Coun. Gaetz, "we're
trying to help them protect their investment."

If landlords take care of their rental properties and advise tenants of the
three-month inspections - which should scare off marijuana growers - they
have nothing to fear.

But landlords who don't show due diligence could face thousands of dollars
in cleanup costs and inspection fees, if a grow-operation is discovered.

Under the bylaw, if the premises have been used for a grow operation, the
owner must, within 30 days after the grow operation has been removed:

- - remove all carpets and curtains or have them cleaned by a professional;

- - have all forced air heating ducts cleaned by a professional;

- - have all walls and ceilings cleaned and disinfected by a professional.

After the cleanup, a certified professional must also confirm the premises
are free of pesticides, fertilizers, toxic chemicals, moulds and fungus.

New tenants must also be notified in writing by the landlord in that a grow
operation has been removed from the premises.

Also, if the premises have been altered for a grow operation, the unit
cannot be re-occupied until a city building permit is obtained for any
remedial work required, and the premises are brought up to current
building, electrical and health standards. The city may also discontinue
water service to the premises, after seven days written notice to the owner.