DISCLOSE POT HOUSES

The last thing a new homeowner wants to discover is that a property is not
what it seemed to be. While buyers have a responsibility to act with care,
they shouldn't be expected to be detectives, performing chemical tests on a
property to see if it was once used for an illegal marijuana growing operation.

One person who understands this point is Dan McTeague, the Liberal member
of Parliament for Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge. His area, like Waterloo Region,
has been cursed by numerous "pot houses." He is concerned with the health
of people who move into these houses.

McTeague points out that the highly toxic chemicals used in a marijuana
house combined with high humidity may cause respiratory problems for the
new owners. One solution he proposes is that the provincial legislature
amend the Ontario Real Estate Act so that real estate agents would be
required to disclose information about these houses before a purchaser
signs a sales agreement.

This is an idea worth considering. If the health effect is likely to be
serious for a significant number of people, full disclosure is only
reasonable. The provincial government, working with federal health
officials, would be wise to take a close look at this problem.

In our own area, this problem is bigger than people not acquainted with the
illicit drug world might suspect. There are about 100 houses in Waterloo
Region that have been used to grow marijuana.

Interestingly, the federal government has a conflict of interest on this
issue. It wants to get a good price for houses it sells that were seized
from criminals. As a result, the government does not inform potential
buyers of the previous use of pot houses. Particularly for a government,
this is not acceptable. Until the province examines this issue more
closely, homebuyers, perhaps with the help of their lawyers, will have to
protect themselves.