POLICE RAID POT HOUSE ACROSS FROM SCHOOL

Students in Thornhill took a little longer arriving home Wednesday
afternoon as they stopped to watch a pot house raid.

York Regional Police raided an indoor marijuana-growing operation at a
house on Mullen Drive, immediately across from Westminster Public School.
As they carted out loads of marijuana plants and assorted paraphernalia
associated with such grows -- high intensity lamps, fans, electrical
equipment -- youngsters gathered to have a look.

Principal Rifka Eisenstat said while the proximity of the grow house to the
school was a concern for the community and the neighbourhood, "there was no
impact on the school whatsoever".

"I think the children were just fascinated," she said of those who stopped
to watch. "The health program in school addresses marijuana and drug problems."

Const. Steve Morrell said he was not surprised by the grow house's location.

"These things can be located anywhere, even across from schools," he said.

In the raid, police arrested one person and collected 676 marijuana plants,
with an estimated street value of more than $675,000.

The raid resulted from a tip from Hydro Vaughan about the possible theft of
electricity at the house by bypassing the meter.