Pubdate: Fri, 18 Mar 2005
Source: Scarborough Mirror, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 The Scarborough Mirror
Contact:  http://www.insidetoronto.ca/to/scarborough/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2198
Author: John Braganca
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

ABSENTEE LANDLORDS BENEFIT GROW OPERATORS, SAYS LOCAL RESIDENT

The murder of four RCMP officers by a marijuana grow-house operator in 
northern Alberta is both a tragedy and a reminder to citizens and 
politicians that the drug industry is deadly.

Scarborough is home to the bulk of grow-ops in Toronto.

Lots Of Grow Ops

That means Scarborough is twice as likely to make the headlines as all the 
former municipalities combined when an event similar to what happened in 
Alberta occurs in Toronto.

Within a two-minute walk from my Bridlewood home are four former grow 
operations.

Additionally, there is one suspected grow op that I know about.

According to police, suburban homes are often rented by growers, used for 
several months and then abandoned.

In order to tackle the problem of grow houses we have to target the problem 
of illegal basement apartments and rooming houses.

Who are these law-breaking landlords? I don't know. They don't wish to be 
known.

I, as a neighbour, cannot distinguish a landlord, illegally renting out 
his/her basement to a factory worker from a landlord renting out his/her 
home to a grow operator.

Neither is anywhere to be seen.

Recently police seized a grow house that had been operating for some time 
in my neighbourhood.

An officer interviewing a neighbour adjacent to the grow house chastised 
her for not reporting suspicious activity sooner.

But the neighbour believed the activity was not suspicious because it was 
typical of the behaviours associated with anonymous neighbours and second 
suite/rooming house operations.

Don't See Neighbours

In Scarborough we have become accustomed to not seeing the new neighbours, 
sometimes ever.

Most of the time, they are not grow operators. But when they are, we only 
learn of it when it is too late.

Grow operators don't need years to recoup their investments.

Government needs to shut down illegal basement apartments and rooming 
houses fast, provide stiff penalties for breaking the law and beef up 
enforcement.

With fewer screens to hide behind, grow operators will have to move out of 
our neighbourhoods.

John Braganca 
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MAP posted-by: Beth