POT GROWERS ILLEGALLY DUMPING GARBAGE NEAR BRUNETTE RIVER

Art Demsky is sick and tired of the garbage he comes across every day in the
area where Cariboo Road meets the Brunette River.

Demsky, a Department of Fisheries and Oceans patrol officer, often finds
garbage bags of empty chemical bottles, leftover soil commonly referred to
as "shake," and stalks - clear evidence of marijuana grow operators
disposing of their refuse illegally.

Besides the appearance of garbage strewn by the roadside, Demsky is worried
about the environmental and ecological impact of these clandestine nighttime
dumps.

"It's getting worse," Demsky noted, as his patrol area takes him by this
spot several times a week. He pointed out that a pull-out area for cars is
relatively well-hidden from traffic, allowing people to unload their garbage
and make a quick getaway.

"Part of my job is responsibility for habitat cleanup," Demsky said. "The
chemicals are harmful to the soil, much of the other garbage is not
biodegradable and it's costing taxpayers money to have to clean up after
these people."

Craig Sinclair, director of engineering for the City of Burnaby, was not
surprised to have to send a crew out to clean up the mess but noted that his
department hasn't had to make too many of these calls yet.

"It's not a common occurrence," Sinclair said. "But, when it does happen, we
send environmental people there to assess the situation."

In the case of Demsky's find, a city crew was out there the same afternoon
and was able to remove the grow-op leavings despite the heavy rain that was
pelting down.

Sinclair noted that although the evidence does point to a grow-op, there's
not much his department can do other than clean up the mess. They don't
routinely notify the police of such finds but, if the problem becomes more
prevalent, that may become an option.

As for Demsky, he thinks the best way to combat this problem is to catch the
culprits in action. That may mean police patrols in the middle of the night
when the dumping most probably takes place.

"This is not only an environmental problem, it's a social one," Demsky said.

He noted that people growing the marijuana are already breaking several laws
before their illegal dumping, and that if the police put a concerted effort
into monitoring the dumping, they may find leads to shut down the grow-ops.