Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 Source: North Shore News (CN BC) Copyright: 2009 North Shore News Contact: http://www.nsnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/311 Author: James Weldon Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) HOMEOWNER MAY FACE GROW-OP BILL Police Find 400 Pot Plants In Vacant British Properties Home A West Vancouver family may be on the hook for thousands of dollars in emergency services and repair bills after police found a large grow operation inside their home. A member of the family called West Vancouver police Sunday evening when he arrived at the Glenross Road property -- which the family believed to be vacant -- to find the locks changed and condensation accumulating on the inside of the windows. When officers arrived at the British Properties home, they forced their way in to find more than 400 marijuana plants growing in three rooms. Investigators dismantled the operation and carted away the drug along with various pieces of related equipment. Grow ops, which generally require humid conditions and a variety of toxic chemicals, can be extremely destructive to the buildings in which they are situated. West Vancouver Fire and Rescue and bylaw inspectors will be examining the premises to determine the extent of the damage in this case. Whatever the result, the property owner will be landed with the repair bill -- in addition, possibly, to a tab for the emergency and municipal staff used to shut the operation down and remove the components. Under a 2005 bylaw, the owner of any West Vancouver rental property is responsible for inspecting the premises every three months to ensure no grow op has been established. If the owner finds one, they have to report it within 24 hours. In the event the owner doesn't follow these rules, and the authorities discover an operation on the premises, the municipality will charge the owner for all the costs it incurs as a result. That includes all the hours logged by police, fire and bylaw services. All told, the tab can run anywhere from $3,800 to $32,000, according to district staff. "The costs get pretty high, pretty quickly," said Liz Holitzki, West Vancouver's manager of permits, inspections and bylaws. The fees are waived if the owner has been inspecting the premises regularly and duly reported an infraction, she said. The municipality has not yet determined whether this was the case for the Glenross Road property, however. According to police, the owner had last examined the vacant rental home two months before the discovery of the operation, which would appear to fall within the bylaw's requirements. Regardless of the family's diligence, however, they will very likely be facing a whopping bill to bring the home back up to a livable standard. Under the West Vancouver bylaw, the owner is responsible for removing any fire hazards, replacing all carpets and curtains, having the furnace and air ducts professionally cleaned, and disinfecting -- or replacing, if necessary -- all the home's floors, walls and ceilings. If fertilizer or other toxic chemicals have been poured down the drain, as is not uncommon, a portion of the plumbing will have to be replaced. In the event the regular hydro hookup has been bypassed -- another common practice -- the owner will have to pay for rewiring. It is unlikely the cost will be covered by insurance. "I do not know of one insurance policy that has ever covered a grow op," Holitzki. "This is very, very serious for homeowners." - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D