Pubdate: Sat, 27 Aug 2005 Source: Abbotsford News (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Hacker Press Ltd. Contact: http://www.abbynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1155 Author: Trudy Beyak Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) NO GROW-OP HERE, CLAIMS JENSEN A Former politician with the District of Abbotsford is upset about the current city council's method of shutting down houses with alleged grow-ops. The city recently condemned one of Clarence Jensen's houses that he rents at 1977 McCallum Rd., after an inspection for a suspected grow-op under its controlled substance property bylaw. Jensen, as the property owner, complained that he was not notified by city staff about the inspection nor the eviction of the tenants. He was golfing at Campbell River, said Jensen, when a police officer phoned him and told him "We're in your home and we're kicking everyone out." Jensen stood before council on Monday afternoon with pictures in his hands of the interior of his rental house to show that it was not used as a grow-op. He said it was "grossly unfair" the city deemed his tenants guilty without offering them a chance to prove otherwise. The city placed a "no occupancy" notice on the home, thereby leaving his tenants homeless. The water and gas were cut off to the house, said Jensen, but there was no evidence his tenants had a grow-op. He acknowledged there were a few spots of mould in the gyproc in the basement, but it was due to the fact that the house is more than 100 years old, not illicit drug activity. The area covered with mould spores in the basement is less than four square feet. "It seems you have a hanging before the trial," he said. He also noted the tenants used a lot of water, because they had an outdoor ground level fish tank. City staff explained that the water consumption in the house was higher than usual and thermal imaging noted an unusually large amount of heat emanating from inside the house. The tenants gave permission for the inspection and a city inspector found patches of mould in the basement. A "no-occupancy" order was slapped on the house because the electrical system was deemed unsafe. Jensen said he doesn't want to fight city hall, because of its large bureaucracy, but said his rights were violated. The former councillor walked around the McCallum Road house on Thursday, noting that he had rented it for $800 a month and was waiting for rezoning for future development. Meanwhile, he believes the city should show more respect to a decent taxpayer like him, who pays some $40,000 a year in taxes to the city for the four houses, his own residence and commercial properties he owns. "My point is how can the city legally do what they're doing? Where are the pictures proving there was a grow-op? How reliable is their evidence? What is the expertise and qualifications of their inspectors?" The second point, Jensen said, is that there should be a better process of informing owners of houses that are shut down. Five houses were recently found to have marijuana grow-ops and mould, contrary to the City's controlled substance property bylaw. The properties must be cleaned and certified by an industrial hygienist and pass a Special Safety Inspection by the city's building inspector before occupancy is allowed again. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin