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City Wants Info On Who's Using Hydroponics
Pubdate: Tue, 10 May 2005
Source: Abbotsford Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Abbotsford Times
Contact: http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1009
Author: Christina Toth
CITY WANTS INFO ON WHO'S USING HYDROPONICS
B.C. shops selling growing lights and fertilizers may one day have to hand
over information about their clients to police.
An Abbotsford city council resolution asking the province to force
retailers to give police data on customers who buy hydroponic growing
equipment, goes to the Lower Mainland Municipal Association this week.
"How will they regulate that? Where do they draw the lines?" asked Dan
Traylor, owner of Homestead Nurseries.
Valley Greenhouse and Hydroponic Supplies also draws a lot of vegetable
growers, said manager Dave Eric. The shop carries various lights, growing
supplies and fertilizers, including imported organic bat guano.
"We have lots of older people who grow tomatoes, we have a lot of orchid
growers, people who like to grow herbs and veggies through the winter," he
said.
What he doesn't have, he says, is information on his clients.
"Most people pay cash. We don't have any information on customers," he said.
Eric said customers are angered by the proposed resolution.
"We had calls from people who are irate. One older man who is not a
customer called here. He said it's sad and he was angry that people would
have to give up names and information like people did in Europe during the
war. He was quite adamant about it," said Eric.
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