Pubdate: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 Source: Packet & Times (CN ON) Copyright: 2008 Osprey Media Group Inc. Contact: http://www.orilliapacket.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2397 Author: Courtney Whalen HOMEOWNERS STUCK WITH GROW-OP COSTS Wiring, Duct Work, Mould Can Add To Cleanup Costs Owners of buildings found to house marijuana grow ops will be saddled with a bill for costs associated with dismantling the illegal operations with Orillia council's approval of a fee bylaw. The bylaw was part of a package that included two new protocol agreements surrounding dismantling residential grow-ops found in the city. The two protocol documents outline the process the OPP, Orillia Fire Department and the city's building division will follow when a marijuana grow operation is discovered. "Love it. Great. Long overdue," Coun. Michael Fogarty said at Monday afternoon's council committee meeting. "My only question is why are we just limiting it to marijuana?" Legislative services manager Gayle Jackson, who was joined at the meeting by Orillia OPP Insp. Terry Wright, fire Chief Ralph Dominelli and chief building official Kelly Smith, said at this point marijuana is considered a starting point. In an interview Tuesday, Jackson said the idea to start looking at recovering costs from grow operations came from the police services board. When all affected parties came to the table, they discovered there was no set protocol, although departments were already working together. "It's just formalizing what we're already doing," agreed Wright on Tuesday, noting the OPP has a very good relationship with the other agencies involved. "We're all working together to make sure it's done properly." Doing it properly is something that can take a number of departments and a lot of time and money, according to Smith. She's been involved in the remediation of eight houses that were used as marijuana grow operations in the city in the past three years. The extent of repairs necessary to make a home safe and habitable again varies with each grow operation, she said. That variety makes it difficult to establish minimum fees, so instead the bylaw sets out that property owners will be required to pay actual costs of inspections and remediation when grow-ops are found. "The damage to the house was the result of an illegal activity so why should the city pay for that gratis?" said Smith. That damage can include everything from improper and unsafe wiring to improperly installed duct work, cut duct work, mould and damage that comes with high levels of humidity maintained in basements that are often sealed off from the rest of the house. Even just removing items such as planting pots and miscellaneous items not seized by police can be time consuming. "(It's turning) a 'garden centre' back into a family dwelling," she said. As part of the new protocol, property owners will be given the opportunity to step in and do the necessary remediation on their own, something both Mayor Ron Stevens and Coun. Paul Spears were pleased to hear at Monday's committee meeting. "I think it's only reasonable we give them that opportunity," said Stevens. In some cases, he said, property owners may not know houses they've rented out are being used to grow marijuana. In each case she's been involved with, Smith said the homeowner has stepped up to take care of costs. "We've been fortunate that we've only had to pay for our time," she said. In drafting the document, Jackson said she used similar protocols from municipalities such as Brampton and Mississauga as guides, as well as a sample put forward by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Although he agreed it's a good start, Coun. Ralph Cipolla said he'd like to see Orillia go even further when it comes to dealing with marijuana grow-ops. "I honestly don't believe this goes far enough," he said. "If we're trying to curtail the drug problem in this community, then I think we need to be much harder and harsher than we are." - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart