Pubdate: Wed, 03 Aug 2005
Source: Richmond News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.richmond-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244
Author: Nelson Bennett
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

LANDLORD LEARNS HARD LESSON

Property owners in Richmond who lease warehouse space with few questions 
asked should take a page from Dave Aubin's hard-lessons book.

The Richmond businessman is facing financial ruin as a result of a fire in 
a warehouse he was subletting.

The warehouse, at 11091 Bridgeport Rd., was being used for a marijuana 
growing operation and went up in flames June 19.

Aubin was in the Philippines when the fire broke out, and was stunned to 
learn the tenant he had been subletting space to for about seven months was 
growing pot.

Aubin lost $250,000 worth of goods, for which he had no fire insurance.

Asked why he had no fire insurance, Aubin said: "Because I'm stupid, I 
guess - I don't know."

To make matters worse, Aubin said the burned out building continues to be 
targeted by thieves and vandals. He claims police are doing nothing to stop it.

"There's no serving, no protecting in this city," Aubin said at a 
hastily-called press conference yesterday morning. "The cops do nothing."

Cpl. Kate Anderson, a spokesperson for the Richmond RCMP, said it's hard 
for police to help Aubin if he will not co-operate with them.

"The RCMP actually did attend this morning and were asked to leave the 
premises," she said. "At this time, he's refusing any help from the RCMP. 
We are more than willing to help him."

Aubin does not own the warehouse. It's owned by Vancouver-based Broadway 
Properties, however, it was being managed by Gateway Property Management 
Corporation at the time of the blaze.

Aubin was leasing space, and was subletting to four other tenants.

He said the person who was subletting the space when the grow-op was found 
vanished after the fire. Aubin doesn't know anything about that individual 
beyond his first name.

"I only know him by the name of Tom," Aubin said. "He's disappeared. All 
his cellphones have been disconnected. I can tell you he was referred to me 
by a person I had confidence in."

Asked if he ever inspected the premises, he said he didn't.

This is not the first time Aubin has had problems with tenants. In 2003, 
the warehouse became the subject of a police investigation when an 
undisclosed quantity of blood was found. After an investigation involving 
35 to 40 officers, Aubin said the blood turned out to be deer blood.

Anderson said police can only do so much, noting that property owners need 
to take some responsibility for protecting their own property.

Aubin said he plans to do just that.

"I've got a baseball bat in my truck. I catch anybody on this property, 
he's not walking out of here," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Beth