Pubdate: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 Source: Nanaimo Daily News (CN BC) Copyright: 2010 Nanaimo Daily News Contact: http://www.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1608 Author: Danielle Bell Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) CITY BILLS OWNERS $50,000 OVER GROW-OPS Nanaimo is one of a growing number of municipalities that pass on police and cleanup costs to property owners The City of Nanaimo has billed more than $50,000 to owners of properties that housed marijuana growing-operations. Enacted in 2006, the city's controlled substance and cost-recovery bylaw has been used to force owners to pay cleanup and enforcement costs associated with grow-ops and drug labs. For the first time, the bylaw will be now used in connection with an reported drug-manufacturing lab, after police spent days dismantling a suspected date-rape drug lab on McGarrigle Road last week. The Nanaimo bylaw, one of the first of its kind when it was adopted on Vancouver Island, generated interest from several other B.C. communities. It was passed shortly after the Nanaimo RCMP green team, a squad of undercover officers who focus solely on stopping marijuana production, was assembled. Several municipalities have since passed similar bylaws, including Langford and Duncan. Police and city officials say the high cost of cleaning up criminal activity can be a major deterrent for owners, who are ultimately held accountable for what goes on at their property. City officials also say it is not a cost that should be picked up by taxpayers. The amount billed has consistently shrunk since the city began in 2007, which accounted for $20,800. So far this year, the city has billed $13,000. "It became necessary to look at who pays the cost," said city Coun. Merv Unger. "If it isn't a deterrent, at least taxpayers aren't stuck with the bill for criminal activity." Since 2006, the city has billed $51,194 to roughly 30 property owners for grow-ops. The city has so far collected only $31,588 of the costs it has billed, but will eventually collect because if the owner cannot or will not pay, the outstanding bill becomes part of property taxes. City officials say it is not a profit, since the cleanup often requires specialized teams. These figures do not include costs associated with the McGarrigle Road lab, which police, including hazardous material and bomb squad officers, spent nearly three days to dismantle. Fire officials were also on standby, as the chemicals posed a risk of explosion. City officials say it will take weeks to tally that bill, but RCMP earlier estimated costs to clean up a single drug lab could top $100,000. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom