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CITY APPLIES PRESSURE IN GROW-OP STRUGGLE

The City of Abbotsford is thinking safety first as it intensifies the pressure on marijuana growers to get the upper hand in the pot power struggle.

Abbotsford Mayor Mary Reeves announced the launch of the Grow Op Public Safety Pilot Project on Thursday - an initiative aimed at eliminating the health and safety risks she says are tied to marijuana grow operations.

"Next to SE2, there is no issue that has more dramatically impacted our neighbourhoods and communities ( than grow-ops )," Reeves told a crowd that included city staff, provincial politicians, and representatives from the Abbotsford fire and police departments.

"Every one of us is affected by this."

The city was granted $80,000 from the provincial government to establish the 90-day pilot project, which it is estimated will pay for itself after that time due to the fines and fees that will be charged to offenders.

The project starts immediately and involves three specially-appointed city officials travelling around Abbotsford's streets.

Using equipment that senses excessive heat, they will scan homes from the outside to determine whether there is a grow-op inside.

If they suspect there is, the staff would knock-on the door of the home, and if there is an answer, act under the provincial Community Charter to enter the property on the grounds of it being a public safety hazard.

If there is no answer, crews would return 24 hours later.

The city does not have the power to press criminal charges.  However, it can contact the police and ask them to act.

And the city does have other options open to it - many of which fall under the recently-approved controlled substance property bylaw.  These measures include cutting the water supply to reduce the viability of a crop.

When the grow-op is cleared out, the bylaw would then force a property owner to make home improvements that bring it 100 per cent back to the recommended building code.

Unpaid charges would be charged to the property tax bill, and if left unpaid, could result in the city seizing the property.

"There is no limit to what we can charge and all the costs will be charged back ( to the owner )," Reeves explained.

"We believe it will make a difference and we are looking forward to seeing the results."

The target area will be "the whole City of Abbotsford," Reeves said, adding that she hopes other cities will adopt similar measures.

To make her point, Reeves highlighted one recent case where a person hoping to buy a new home viewed 15 houses - 13 of which had previously contained grow-ops.

"The criminal justice system in some ways has been failing us," she said.

"We are not interested in laying charges because nothing happens to them anyway.  What we are interested in is making sure neighbourhoods are safe."

Coun.  Bruce Beck said the initial goal was to develop a "non-traditional" approach to tackling grow-ops.

"We realized that any of the ethical and moral considerations regarding marijuana are out of our mandate.  However, we do have a responsibility to protect public safety," he said.

"The message that needs to go out is that if you are involved in the marijuana ( grow-op ) business, and if you are affecting public safety or putting firefighters at risk, it is going to stop."

Both Beck and Reeves said the city had worked closely with the provincial government.

"I am very proud of the city .  .  .  it was very clear the city had cleared off every detail," said John van Dongen, the Abbotsford-Clayburn MLA when the project was being discussed in Victoria.

"I believe this is a very good initiative and I am very pleased to have been involved."

According to the city, a recent University College of the Fraser Valley study highlighted that at least 15 per cent of marijuana grow-ops contain explosives, chemical products or weapons.

That same study pointed out that the likelihood of a fire is 40 per cent greater in a home containing a grow-op.