Pubdate: Thu, 11 Apr 2013
Source: Aldergrove Star (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Central Fraser Valley Star Publishing Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.aldergrovestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/989
Author: Neighbours Opposed to Grow Ops (NOGrO)

GROW-OPS RILE RESIDENTS

Editor:

I am writing this letter to express my serious health and safety
concern related to the alarming presence of 'legal' marijuana growing
operations located in our residential area and other family
neighbourhoods within the Township of Langley and other
municipalities.

The 2012 information on Health Canada's website indicates that the
licences have 'grown exponentially' to 26,000 over the past few years
and they acknowledge that this has 'unintended consequences for public
health, safety and security.' Based on the arrival of a number of new
grow ops in our neighbourhood, we can correctly assume that the number
of Health Canada licenses since the 2012 report has grown even further.

We recently discovered that the residence next door to our residence
is only one of many similar 'licenced' production locations in our
neighbourhood and within the Langleys. Over the past few months,
subsequent to recent sale of the residence, we had noted escalating
suspicious activity in the home and large detached garage. We had
noticed that the blinds of the home were closed at all times, however,
lights on both the exterior and interior of the house were on
continually, day and night. Vehicles arriving to and leaving from the
residence often tended to come in and out after dark.

Numerous new exterior ventilation units were installed around the
exterior of the detached garage within a few feet of our property and
were running continuously; additional electrical and water lines were
run alongside and into the detached garage; and cameras and motion
lights were installed on the building.

Then we started noticing the distinctive skunk smell of growing
marijuana. We made a report to the drug division of the Langley RCMP.
Unfortunately, the RCMP, though expressing their own frustration, are
not able to do anything as there are two licences issued by Health
Canada, giving the occupants of this address licence to grow
marijuana. The licensees are not required to go through any local
permit or inspection process and no one has authority to inspect or
regulate these holders of Health Canada licenses.

How can this be allowed to happen in a family oriented residential
neighbourhood? This marijuana growing operation and others like it
present a serious health and safety concern to us as adjacent
residents as well as to our neighbourhood at large. Clearly by the
fact that the occupants have had to install perimeter cameras around
the detached garage (including some that look into our backyard), they
are concerned about potential infiltration of their grow operation,
most likely by individuals with criminal intent.

At times the skunk smell of the marijuana is pervasive and unavoidable
in our yard and inside our home if we open the windows. The fans and
ventilation units adjacent to our fence are running most of the time
and cause significant vibration felt through the ground well into our
backyard. High-pitched pressured noises are heard from the building at
various times of the day and night (likely high pressure CO2 which is
used to speed up the plant growth). Other neighbours have noticed
power lapses, surges and loss not previously experienced in our
neighbourhood. Last week the hydro transformer on the block did a
meltdown and neighbours were advised that the power draw on the
transformer was now one-third over its designed capacity. This was a
serious fire and contamination near-miss for the neighbourhood.

The Canadian Association of Firefighters points out that the rates of
fires in or caused by these grow ops are 24 times higher than the
average home. Hydro customers had to absorb the cost of a larger
replacement transformer to accommodate the electrical draw for the
grow op as hydro are obligated to install transformers to meet the
draw.

The next day, a municipal water line on the property burst. At cost to
taxpayers, Township staff had to come out and repair the ruptured water 
line.

This experience has been a rude awakening for our quiet residential
neighbourhood.

We have been in touch with our local and federal elected officials who
are agreeable to hosting a public forum on May 15 (specific times and
locations to be announced). I would very much appreciate if you could
highlight this health and safety issue in our local paper and help to
promote awareness of the upcoming forum. We need our regulatory bodies
to take action to ensure these grow ops are relocated out of
residential areas to insure our neighbourhoods are safe.

I would be happy to have this letter published as a letter to the
editor, however, request that my name and contact information is not
included due to potential safety risk.

Neighbours Opposed to Grow Ops (NOGrO), Aldergrove
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MAP posted-by: Matt