NUISANCE BYLAW CLOSES 'CRACK PAD'

City council's nuisance bylaw has been applied to control a Victoria
Road apartment declared a crack pad by the building's manager.

The apartment is at 144 Victoria Rd., above the Spanglish
Store.

From now on the property owners, Akal Development Ltd., will be billed
for any future calls for police, fire or bylaw service complaints
arising from incidents deemed unnecessary by the city.

Barry Snider, who was recently hired as building manager, told city
council bad tenants were to blame for the problem, which has since
been addressed.

"They basically turned it into a crack pad," Snider said. "I had a
couple people come up to me and say: 'Are you looking?', meaning coke
or heroin."

Coun. Merv Unger asked whether crack inhalers are still being sold at
the Spanglish store, but Snider couldn't say.

"I manage the building, not the store," he said.

Neither the city nor police can control the sale of drug
paraphernalia, said Randy Churchill, city bylaw services manager.

"There's nothing against selling crack pipes. It's not a breach of any
of our bylaws," Churchill said. "I think the community has concerns,
because a certain type of person is attracted to that sort of thing."

Council passed the nuisance bylaw unanimously.