CITY KEEPS EYE ON 'PROBLEM HOUSES'

Dozens of houses are currently under the watchful eye of city hall's
housing integrated service team, charged last year with the task of ridding
New Westminster of drug houses and other nuisance properties.

The team is comprised of staff from police, fire, strategic services,
engineering, planning and other city departments, as well as
representatives from the health authority, BC Gas, and the ministry of
human resources.

Its mandate is to deal with problematic properties that have issues related
to crime, extraordinary demands for police service, negative impacts on
neighbourhoods, bylaw violations and safety hazards. The team is also
implementing the Controlled Substance Property Bylaw adopted last summer to
deal with marijuana grow operations and drug houses.

According to a recent report from the city's director of strategic
services, already the team has dealt with more than 60 properties. It has
identified and shut down at least 22 marijuana grow operations since the
summer. Water and electrical services are cut off until all safety hazards
and bylaw violations are corrected.

Several crack houses have been identified and vacated, and the problems
resolved, including those at 905 McBride Boulevard, 437 Seventh Street and
905 12th Street.

Approximately three dozen properties have been identified as "chronically
problematic" by the team, which has already succeeded in addressing eight:

1305-1307 and 1325-1327 Kamloops Street - The buildings consisted of two
duplexes which had been converted to fourplexes at some time without the
required permits. In dealing with the concerns of "poor maintenance and
ongoing drug activities and nuisances," the business licences for the
properties were revoked and the building vacated until bylaw violations
were resolved. The homes were converted back to duplexes then sold.

1221 Seventh Avenue - The property, originally a duplex, was illegally
converted to a 10-unit residential building. The city obtained Supreme
Court orders authorizing it to eliminate all but two units.

211 and 215 Royal Avenue - The two houses were converted without permits to
rooming houses with about 12 units. Concerns included neighbourhood
nuisances, criminal activity in and around the properties and serious
safety hazards inside. The business licences were revoked, services were
disconnected and the building has been vacated until it complies with city
bylaws.

224 Third Street - A single-detached home converted without permits to a
rooming house with seven units, the property is now vacated.

730 Fifth Street - A court order has been obtained forcing the owner to
vacate and remove the unauthorized units in this property, a
single-detached home converted without permits to a 12-unit rooming house.

1408 Fifth Avenue - The house was identified as a crack house and marijuana
grow operation on several occasions in the past three years and also
contained safety hazards. The property has been vacated and the services
disconnected until it is brought into compliance with city bylaws. "New
Westminster is on the cutting edge of these sorts of issues," city
solicitor Michael McAllister told council. In fact, other municipalities
are now calling city hall for advice and information. The team's success,
he added, is due to its focus not on what can't be done but on what can be
done.

Assistant director of strategic services Keith Coueffin stressed that
residents witnessing criminal activity "should not put themselves in harm's
way" but rather, provide police and city staff with information to help
them deal with it.