Pubdate: Mon, 30 May 2005
Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2005 The Calgary Sun
Contact:  http://www.fyicalgary.com/calsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67
Author: Mike D'Amour and Nadia Moharib
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

OFFICIALS PUSH SITE FOR GROW-OP ADDRESSES

Listing addresses of one-time marijuana grow-ops on the Internet is
slow to happen in Calgary while other cities are eagerly logging on to
the idea.

The Winnipeg Police Service, with backing from the Winnipeg Real
Estate Board, last week began posting a website listing addresses
where cops have busted illegal marijuana grow-ops.

Calgary Real Estate Board president Marilyn Jones said she views
cities like Winnipeg and London, Ont., which has its own Net list,
with envy -- and optimism that officials here will eventually go
online with the same type of listing.

"We would love to get that here, but so far haven't been able to do
it," she said yesterday.

That leaves realtors with no way to find out if a home was once busted
as a grow-op, and potential buyers running the risk of getting a home
which once harboured an illegal operation, she said.

Don Dickson, former CREB president and a member of coalition working
to combat grow operations, said cops here were close to going online
with addresses about a month ago -- until city lawyers kiboshed those
plans.

"The police were all set to go and then checked with the lawyer who
said it was a privacy issue," he said.

Dickson said an Internet list would be limited in its ability and
simply "an extra weapon" in the arsenal to combat grow-ops.

He said most homes busted by cops are condemned by health officials
and never make it to the market, while the bigger concern is thousands
of operations which exist but go undetected.

Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart, chair of a multi-stakeholder coalition to
stop dope grow-ops, said the bid to bring an online list to Calgary is
still alive and well.

"There are a lot of bureaucratic details we are working through," she
said.

Real estate officials urge buyers to beware -- always get a home
inspection done on any properties prior to purchase. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake