Pubdate: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 Source: Parksville Qualicum Beach News (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 Parksville Qualicum Beach News Contact: http://www.pqbnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1361 Author: Colleen Dane Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) DRUG BYLAW GOES TO CITY FOR VOTE Parksville's planning and development committee thinks it may have found a controlled substances production bylaw that everyone can be happy with. After bringing one option forward a few months ago, concerns were raised that the bylaw may be too far-reaching "That previous bylaw, was going to be problematic and increase a lot of administrative costs to the city," said Gayle Jackson, director of planning for the city. That one, borrowed from another municipality, put a lot of the onus for regular inspection on the property owners -a task that could be unfairly difficult in some cases because of tenancy regulations and other factors. After further research, Parksville staff were able to find a second option - one everyone seems more pleased with. The goal she says, was to give the RCMP a means by which they could recoup the costs of dismantling a drug production lab - and the city the ability to charge if work has to be done on the property to bring it back to safety standards. "The bylaw you have in front of you does that and doesn't do much more," says Jackson. Councillor Marc Lefebvre, who was a member of the Oceanside Community Crystal Meth Task Force that launched the whole bylaw initiative, says he felt the second bylaw proposal is far more appropriate. "The former bylaw we were looking at - would penalize a property owner who was practicing due diligence," says Lefebvre. "Talking to members of the task force, I find it very well written, capable of doing what we're looking for it to do." The bylaw went to council for final approval last night. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom