HOME-GROW REGISTRY WANTED

Real Estate Board Asks Police To Let Homeowners Know Locations Of
Busted Marijuana Operations

Real estate agents and local police are working together to ensure
potential homeowners don't get duped into buying a home once used in
an illegal drug operation.

"We do have situations where clients are, unbeknownst to them, buying
former grow operations," Tania Benninger, president of the K-W Real
Estate Board, said in an interview yesterday.

"They rely on realtors to disclose anything they can about the
property and Realtors want to provide that service."

Many of these homes have serious electrical, structural and health
problems that are not known to buyers.

Benninger said agents want to relay this information to their clients
but "can't disclose the information if we don't have the information."

The board asked Waterloo regional police to set up a public registry
that would identify homes involved in marijuana grow operations.

But Insp. Bryan Larkin said police believe posting such information
online would give a false sense of security to potential buyers. The
issuing of a search warrant doesn't always mean charges will be laid, he said.

If someone looks on the list and doesn't see the address, they'll
believe they're in the clear.

Real estate agents and potential home buyers already can have a
police search done on a property to see if any search warrants have
been conducted, but this costs $30.

"It's unfortunately 'buyer beware' at this point," said Tom Galloway,
chair of the Waterloo Regional Police Service board.

But Larkin said police are "extremely committed" to doing something.
In fact, they would to see the proposed list expanded to all illegal
drug-making activity, including methamphetamine labs, not just
marijuana-grow operations.

The police service and the real estate board have decided to look
into other options, including inserting a clause into the Agreement
of Purchase and Sale that states whether the property was ever used
in an illegal drug-making or growing operation. Another is to lobby
the provincial government to allow the regional public health
department to disclose the information, which is how the situation is
handled in Alberta.

"That's the model we feel is more appropriate," Galloway said.

The Calgary Health Region publishes all addresses that have been used
in an illegal drug operation on its website, along with a list of any
problems found by an inspector.

These problems can include such things as mould growth, tampering
with the electrical system, chemical and fertilizer contamination and
holes cut through the structure. A recent order posted notes that a
house is "unfit for human habitation" and provided a list of
renovations to be completed if the home could be occupied again.

Bruce Conway, a spokesperson for the Calgary Health Region, said a
note is posted on the property to ensure anyone approaching knows of
the situation.

"It's for the public good," Conway said.

Doug Quibell, manager of environmental health for the Region of
Waterloo, said he hasn't been approached about doing something like
this but he is willing to discuss the possibility.

"Should they need our support in any way we'd be happy to do that," he said.

The London Police Service publishes all addresses of homes where
search warrants were used on indoor marijuana-grow operations. The
website lists how many plants were seized and what charges were laid.

London police Const. Amanda Pfeffer said the service has been
publishing the addresses for the past three years because of an
increase in grow operations in the area.

Larkin said it's not an increase in illegal drug operations that is
driving the initiative locally. In fact, Larkin said, a police
crackdown and community awareness have pushed many drug operations
out of Waterloo Region.

For police, it's an issue of ensuring the "health and safety and
welfare of (home) buyers," he said.

Benninger said she's simply looking for any tools to ensure clients
aren't getting ripped off when they buy a home.

"We know consumers put a lot of trust in us and we want to make sure
when they buy a house they know what they are getting," she said.