COUNCIL EYES DRUG HOUSE BYLAW

A proposed amendment to the Township's property maintenance bylaw
would force property owners to obtain a re-occupancy permit after a
marijuana grow operation or crystal-meth lab bust.

And the motion, from Councillor Jordan Bateman, asks Township staff to
determine if a notification can be made, either at the Land Titles
Office, or on the municipal tax roll, that a home has been used for
illegal drug production.

While the motion was approved unanimously on Monday, Councillor Mel
Kositsky said Bateman, "in his enthusiasm, is attacking the provincial
government" for dropping the ball on similar legislation and drug
enforcement generally.

Kositsky said that the Lower Mainland Municipal Association has been
trying to get the provincial government to come up with similar
regulations, province wide.

Kositsky said the drug producers would much rather deal with municipal
enforcement efforts than provincial laws, and he suggested that the
province will have to get tougher on drug producers.

Bateman told council that contamination from drug production can be
particularly harmful to small children, and can cause nerve and even
brain damage.

He advocates that after a drug bust, the re-occupancy permit be
contingent on safety inspections certifying the building safe.