CITY LOOKS AT POT LAW

Landlords could be on the hook for their unscrupulous tenants if the city
adopts regulations similar to what's in place in some B.C. communities.

In Surrey, the municipality goes after property owners to recover costs
connected with taking down marijuana grow operations. If they refuse to pay,
the amount gets tacked on to the property tax bill.

Richmond and Nanaimo have similar bylaws in place, and they are all ones
local officials are considering copying.

"I don't know what the stomach of council is," Kamloops RCMP Insp. Ralph
Carriere says, but the reality is policing time is costly and there is a lot
of time and cost involved in investigating and then taking down the illegal
crops found in Kamloops neighbourhoods.

Carriere doesn't have a figure readily available on the number of grow-ops
dismantled by police last year, however, most are hidden in basements while
some have been known to be throughout an entire house, rented just for that
purpose.

Aside from the police involvement, firefighting costs are sometimes involved
when shoddy wiring in a grow operation causes a blaze. Mayor Mel
Rothenburger got wind of the Surrey bylaw and passed it on to a committee of
council to consider.

He doesn't have a strong opinion on it, and would have to wait to see what
the committee comes up with, but says, ". . . anything that gives police
added clout and gives us some way of helping to discourage landlords who
allow these grow-ups could be helpful."

While Coun. Pat Wallace is interested in taking a look at how the city might
want to recoup costs, she's concerned about putting the full weight of a
penalty onto landlords.

"There's got to be some balance here."

She's also concerned about the legality of such a bylaw.

In Surrey, 100 property owners were billed last year for police time
involved in taking down marijuana grow operations. The average invoice is
$3,000, says senior bylaw enforcement officer John Hofmann.

"Not only are they paying the costs for us to take it out, they end up
having to fix up their properties" from the damage done by tenants.

"They do lose, big time."

It should be enough of a loss, Hofmann believes, to make most absentee
landlords more careful about their rental properties.