EASTER TOURS GROW-OPS

Canada's Solicitor-General Wayne Easter flew into North Surrey by
helicopter Wednesday for a first-hand look at the city's burgeoning
marijuana grow-op problem.

Recently police revealed Surrey has as many as 4,500 pot growing operations.

After landing in Green Timbers he was shuttled to the District 1 police
station in Whalley, where he met with the drug squad and saw a video about
local grow operations. After, he was taken on a tour of drug houses in Whalley.

Surrey North MP Chuck Cadman, justice critic for the Canadian Alliance,
wasn't invited.

"The excuse I was given was that it was not a public event," said Cadman,
who has been railing against Surrey's grow ops on Parliament Hill for more
than a year now. "It's become a public safety issue. Politics shouldn't
enter into this," he said.

After watching a video overview of Surrey's marijuana grow-op problem shot
last week, profiling two operations in Fraser Heights, Easter told
reporters he understands the severity of Surrey's problem.

"The RCMP in this area certainly have their work cut out for them," Easter
said. "There should be a very heavy price paid for being involved in this
kind of serious crime. I want to compare notes in terms of what kind of
penalties are the courts in fact issuing on this issue, are the penalties
being enforced as outlined in the law."

This week the federal government released $8.4 million to help fund
crime-fighting agencies in B.C.

The police seemed heartened by Easter's visit.

"I feel we have the support of him," said Supt. Al McIntyre. "I sense he
was very concerned."

B.C. Solicitor General Rich Coleman told the legislative assembly in
Victoria this week that 82 per cent of people convicted of growing pot in
B.C. receive neither a punitive fine nor jail sentence. In Washington
State, the minimum sentence on a first offence is three months in jail.

"In Whatcom County, south of the Fraser Valley, they will deal with maybe a
handful of grow-ops this year," Coleman said. "In British Columbia we will
deal with thousands of grow ops in the Fraser Valley.

"They are the base of organized crime in British Columbia."