INTERGRATED SERVICES TEAM TO RESPOND TO PROBLEM PROPERTIES

"Worse than you can imagine" is how city officials describe some of the
properties being targeted by the city's Housing Integrated Service Team.

For the past several months, an interdepartmental committee of city
officials has been addressing concerns about a variety of properties
causing problems:

* Marijuana grow operations. The New Westminster Police Service has
identified 22 marijuana grow operations since city council adopted the
Controlled Substance Property Bylaw last summer. Pursuant to provisions of
the bylaw, the electrical and water services are immediately disconnected
and the owners are ordered to vacate the property after police execute a
search warrant and confirm the presence of a marijuana grow operation. The
electrical and water services are not reconnected until all safety hazards
and bylaw violations within the property have been corrected and the city
is also permitted to charge various fees to help recover the costs to deal
with the grow operations.

* Crack houses. The Integrated Service Team considers properties used to
consume and sell crack cocaine and other illicit drugs to be one of its top
priorities. When police confirm the existence of a crack house, the IST
pursues all options available to quickly vacate the property or resolve
activities in some way, and takes steps to address related to safety
hazards and community concerns. After police identified crack houses at 905
McBride Blvd., 437 7th St., and 905 12th St., these properties were vacated
and issues addressed.

* Rental buildings with poor management practices. A number of properties
are in good physical condition, but have been problematic due to poor
management practices. The owners and managers are being approached and
encouraged to adopt proper management practices.

* Chronically Problematic Properties. The IST has identified about three
dozen properties that are a concern regarding excessive demands on
emergency services, ongoing community impacts, safety hazards and bylaw
violations.

"The owners of some of these properties have been very cooperative and are
working with staff to address the concerns. Staff have also identified a
number of other properties that need to be further investigated," said a
report to council. "Where the owner of a problematic property is not
cooperative, it is very time consuming to collect all the needed evidence
and reports to deal with the premises. Therefore, staff are dealing with
such properties on a worst-first basis. To date, eight properties that
posed serious community concerns have been addressed by the IST."

To date, the Integrated Service Team has addressed problems with the
following properties: 1305/07 and 1325/27 Kamloops St.; 1221 7th Ave.; 211
and 215 Royal Ave.; 224 3rd St.; 730 5th St.; and 1408 5th Ave.