BYLAW OVERBEARING

(Re Police officer urges bylaw change, Esquimalt News, April 12, 2006.)

Const. Brad Fraser and his colleagues are to be commended for their
efforts in ridding this community of grow-ops, meth labs, and other
undesirable elements.

However, Fraser's proposal to download cleanup costs on landlords is
another wave in a "blame the victim" trend prevalent among police
services and politicians. In the past, we've heard repeated calls to
fine businessmen and private property owners for failing to dedicate
precious time and resources toward cleaning up after graffiti criminals.

No matter how vigilant a landlord is, unscrupulous renters will slip
by. The unwitting landlords who have their homes turned into drug
labs already face costs that can be in the tens of thousands of
dollars - sometimes to the point of demolition of the house. None of
these costs are covered by insurance, since insurance policies do not
indemnify against damage wrought by renters/tenants. Forcing these
homeowners to pay a user fee for firefighters, police, and health
officials is unfair. We don't charge drivers a user fee to call
police to an accident scene. Nor do we charge pet owners a user fee
to call firefighters to a backyard fire. In fact, I was under the
impression that the outrageous property taxes levied in the Greater
Victoria area were supposed to pay for these services.

If landlords are forced to check daily to ensure their homes have not
been turned into drug labs - and are made to shoulder an oversized
financial burden in the event of a cleanup - the end result will be
that zero single-family dwellings will be available for rent and the
only rental accommodations will be apartments and illegal suites. Is
this our solution to a citywide housing shortage?

Cam McCulloch, Esquimalt