Pubdate: Tue, 07 Feb 2006
Source: Langley Advance (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.langleyadvance.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1248
Author: Erin McKay
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada)

DRUGS: COUNCILLOR TARGETS DRUG HOUSES

A New Bylaw That Would Take A Stand Against Drug Labs And Make Homes
Safe For Families Is Being Proposed By A Langley Township Councillor.

Jordan Bateman grew up and went to school in Langley.

He is a young husband and father, a homeowner, and a member of 
Township Council.

That's why, for the sake of his family and others in the community, 
Bateman said a stand must be taken against drugs now - and it must be 
taken at a municipal level.

"I'm tired of idle chatter," said Bateman. "We want to see results 
and success."

"We can't put people in jail," he said of what Township Council can 
do to cope with the drug problem, "but we can make it very difficult 
for drug dealers and producers to do business."

"We can pull up the welcome mat," he said.

Bateman is proposing that Council enact a bylaw that would make it 
hard for Langley houses to be used as drug labs, and ensure that 
those who live in homes where labs once existed will be healthy and safe.

The bylaw would be similar to ones used in neighbouring 
municipalities, and would condemn houses used as meth labs or pot 
grow-ops until all damage is repaired, and the home is brought up to 
specific health and safety requirements.

The possibility of noting the presence of drug labs on the land 
titles or tax notices should also be investigated, Bateman said, to 
ensure potential new buyers know what they are dealing with.

Bateman estimates there are 500 to 1,000 clandestine drug labs in 
Langley Township, a problem that hit close to home a couple of years 
ago when a dozen grow-ops were busted within 15 months in 
Murrayville's upscale, high-end Hillcrest development.

The area has since been cleaned up, said Bateman, who moved into the 
neighbourbood last summer with his wife and two-year-old daughter.

But the discovery of so many drug labs in one area illustrates how 
easy it is for drug producers - many of whom are members of organized 
crime - to set up shop.

The problem, Bateman said, is absentee landlords and irresponsible 
property owners who turn a blind eye when renting out homes.

Through the proposed bylaw, landlords would be made accountable by 
making it difficult to resell a home used as a drug lab, until 
specific standards are met.

It would also force landlords to inspect their property every three 
months, which would potentially interrupt the growing cycle of 
marijuana plants.

Currently, the B.C. Real Estate Association requires sellers to 
indicate whether a property has been used as a drug lab, but the 
system has no legal teeth.

If a home has been patched over, but not properly cleaned and 
repaired, it is easy for new tenants to simply start up another drug 
lab, said Bateman, and more importantly, it poses health risks to 
those who move in afterwards.

Chemicals used in drug labs and the mold and mildew they produce can 
remain in the walls, carpeting, and curtains of a home, and have 
harmful physical and neurological effects on people, especially small children.

"The Township has no set regulation on how to bring those houses up 
to standard," he said of an issue that would be addressed by his 
proposed bylaw.

Homes used as labs would be labeled uninhabitable until those 
standards were met and the homes are given a clean bill of health by 
a fire chief or building inspector.

"We're closing a legislative loophole and ensuring buildings are 
restored to their proper condition," said Bateman, who planned to 
introduce the bylaw as a notice of motion on Monday evening, during 
Township Council's Feb. 6 meeting.

The motion would be discussed the following week.

According to Bateman, Langley is in a position to take a serious 
stand against drugs.

"All the pieces are here," he said, noting that the Township has 
developed a Community Safety Commission, and enacted a bylaw that 
puts the financial burden of dealing with drug labs on landowners, 
not taxpayers.

The community is well-educated about the drug issue, Bateman added, 
noting that Inspector Janice Armstrong, the new head of the Langley 
RCMP detachment, comes from Ridge-Meadows, which boasts a successful 
anti-drug program.

"We have a mayor and Council that is taking this seriously, and a 
staff that is willing to roll up its sleeves to get the work done," 
said Bateman, who wants to ensure that local law enforcers have the 
tools they need.

"It occurred to me that if the Township isn't a safer, cleaner, more 
sustainable place to live in 20 years, I have no one to blame but 
myself," he said. "Many families want this issue dealt with."

Bateman encouraged any residents with ideas about how to fight drugs 
in the community to contact him at  or call 604-340-9385.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom