Pubdate: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 Source: Richmond Review, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2001 Richmond Public Library Contact: http://www.richmondreview.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/704 Author: Martin van den Hemel MONTHLY INSPECTIONS WOULD STOP GROW OPS Will Operation Green Clean Wipe Out Marijuana, Or Will It Place A Scarlet Letter On All Renters? Property manager Ben Larsson of Interlink Realty was critical of the city's new program dealing with the grow-op problem because he believes it will single out renters in every neighbourhood in Richmond. "What they've proposed sounds almost punitive (to renters)...let's keep an eye on them and watch them 24 hours per day. It's almost absurd. "These people that rent, they're not rapists or child molesters. What's next, put a big M on their forehead I guess?" Larsson believes the solution to weeding out marijuana is simple: monthly property inspections. Two years ago, Interlink began doing property inspections every 30 to 45 days and informing people looking to rent that it would be doing so at all of its properties. "We haven't had one since we started the program," he said. That's compared to the three marijuana operations they discovered in the eight-month period prior to implementing the inspections. "(The City of Richmond is) trying to solve a problem by taking a tool out of the wrong tool box." Property owners and landlords need to be vigilant and inspect their properties monthly, he said. Since a marijuana crop takes 90 days to mature, would-be growers are likely to shy away from places that are regularly inspected. B.C. bud growers are often clever enough to fool property managers, Larsson said, so someone who isn't in the business day-to-day can easily fall victim. Larsson was also critical of B.C. Hydro, which cites privacy laws for refusing to share billing information on properties that have seen a dramatic increase in power consumption-a telltale sign of a marijuana operation. After he became suspicious of one property and turned to B.C. Hydro, he wasn't given the billing information. But after the tenant moved out and Interlink paid the power bills again, B.C. Hydro turned over all of the billing information-including that of the previous tenant. "All these people growing grass is good for their bottom line," Larsson said of B.C. Hydro. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom