Pubdate: Tue, 20 May 2014
Source: Lethbridge Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2014 The Lethbridge Herald
Contact:  http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/239
Author: Caroline Zentner
Referenced: Grow Op Free Alberta Final Recommendations Report:
http://mapinc.org/url/gu30uB9R

GROW OPS A CONCERN FOR HOME BUYERS

Local realtors applaud the government's report on recommendations to
combat the negative effects of marijuana grow operations on residents,
their homes, and their neighbourhoods.

The report was released by Justice Minister Jonathan Denis earlier
this month and it includes 37 recommendations about the health, safety
and remediation of former marijuana grow-operations.

"It's a step in the right direction," said Brad Kopp, president of the
Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA).

"Albertans need to be protected in the event a property becomes 'sick'
after re-habitation due to the reoccurrence of mold or other toxins.
Guidelines are also needed for properties that fail remediation
standards, so they don't become blights on our communities," said Brad
Cook of the Lethbridge & District Association of Realtors in a news
release.

"We know that each municipality has their own standards of remediation
to make the home safe again. However, what happens is those homes,
when they're used for a grow op, for example, and in the case of the
floods, mold is an ongoing concern. What happens is the home becomes
sick again and you don't know it," Kopp said.

AREA put forth the air quality standards that made their way into the
report's recommendations and it's pushing to have consistent,
province-wide remediation and air quality standards put in place for
grow ops.

Kopp said they're also recommending the government establish a
database where grow ops and remediations could be listed.

"That answers everybody's questions," Kopp said. "If there's a certain
standard that's met across the province rather than each municipality
then we know it's going to be a safer home for the consumer to move
into."

In 2011, the RCMP dismantled 4,367 grow ops in Canada, Kopp said. The
number doesn't include those dismantled by city or municipal police
forces.

The recommendations identify the need for public education on how to
spot a marijuana grow operation, the safety and health risks of grow
ops and how to report suspected grow ops. Improved police reporting
and better communication between police agencies and municipalities,
and other agencies requiring knowledge, is also recommended.

The recommendations also ask the government to consider options to
require real estate agents, when they have knowledge, to disclose to
potential buyers that the property was previously a grow op. As it
stands now, under common law, the listing agent has the same
obligation to disclosure as the seller. So if the seller must
disclose, then so must the listing agent.

Government also needs to ensure mortgage lenders and insurance
companies will mortgage and insure remediated properties. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D