NEW BYLAW TARGETS GROW OPS

Marijuana grow operations, crack shacks and meth labs are the target
of a new West Kelowna bylaw aimed at ridding residential drug
operations from the municipality.

West Kelowna said it's creating its Safe Premises Bylaw at the
request of Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton, who asked that there be a
consistent approach in dealing with drug houses throughout the Okanagan.

RCMP has also expressed support for the bylaw, saying it will create
efficient and consistent enforcement.

Coun. Carol Zanon said the bylaw is a tremendous step forward for the
16-month-old municipality and Coun. Duane Ophus said the bylaw is
timely. "Five grow ops have been (shut down) in our municipality in
the first three months of this year," noted Ophus.

Development services director Dave Slobodan said West Kelowna's bylaw
will be modeled largely after Kelowna's Nuisance Controlled Substance
Bylaw, which has been an "effective tool to address grow operations."
Although West Kelowna has added a few amendments, which it expects
Kelowna will also add later this year, to keep the bylaw as up to
date as possible, said Slobodan.

The municipal bylaw will come in to play whenever RCMP act on a
warrant and raid a grow op, meth lab or crack shack, said Slobodan.

West Kelowna bylaw enforcement officers will be called to the home to
post a notice on the property saying it can't be occupied because of
the grow op.

The first callout will automatically cost a property owner $2,500,
said Slobodan.

It's incentive for property owners to regularly inspect their homes
to ensure grow ops aren't being run out of their houses, he added.

The homeowner must also pay $2,500 every time a bylaw officer or
building inspector is called out to the house for a follow up visit,
to ensure the premises has been repaired and is fit for re-occupancy.

It's likely a property owner will pay about $10,000 in bylaw fees
when all is said and done, never mind renovation costs, just to get
the house back to the point it can be re-occupied, said Slobodan. If
the home is occupied again before final inspection, the municipality
has the ability to shut off water and place notice on title that the
home was a marijuana grow operation, he concluded.