Pubdate: Thu, 06 Jun 2013
Source: Kamloops Daily News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Kamloops Daily News
Contact:  http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/679
Author: Adam Williams

LEGAL GROW-OP CAUSES STINK

Families Helpless Amid Concerns About Legitimate Operations

A North Shore resident says he has nowhere to turn with concerns 
about a neighbour's medicinal marijuana grow-op - a federally 
licensed operation he believes is hurting his grandson.

Darryl Janzen has lived in a duplex on Kenora Road for six years. 
Soon after moving in, he noticed the smell from his neighbour's legal 
grow-op was so powerful that it spread through the shared cinderblock 
wall between their homes.

Janzen has taken his concerns to his landlord multiple times and also 
contacted RCMP.

"We came home from slo-pitch one night and had to sit outside until 
the house aired out," he said.

"It needs to be properly sealed."

Janzen lives in the duplex with his wife Karen Russell, 18-year-old 
daughter Sabrina Russell and two-year-old grandson Xaviour. He's 
worried about the health of his grandson. He said he believes the 
smell is what's making his grandson sleep longer than normal, 
sometimes up to 14 hours in a day. It's worse in the winter. "We've 
got separate furnaces, but that smell in wintertime goes all the way 
upstairs," Janzen said.

"The furnace is in the basement where the smell comes through the 
wall and that's where the grow-op is." The family asked landlord 
Peter Baron to fix the situation.

Baron said he's had a contractor look at the duplex. Based on the 
information the contractor gave him, the impact that Janzen and his 
family claim is impossible, he said.

As well, he's not aware of anything he can do to stop the licensed grow-op.

It's a problem that's been raised in Kamloops and the rest of the 
province before. Health Canada licensed 11,601 people in B.C. to 
produce marijuana as of Dec. 31, 2012 - 64 per cent of the licensed 
producers in the country.

Deb Sharkey lives in a different duplex with another legal grower on 
the other side. After months of struggling, she's resigned herself to 
living with the status quo. She's experienced similar problems with 
the smell in her home. Two of her husband's care-aide workers quit 
because they were unable to work under the conditions.

"Have you ever been next to a skunk that has let go?" Sharkey said. 
"There you go."

Health Canada spokesman Sean Upton said new government legislation 
should come to the aid of Janzen and Sharkey, although not until April 1, 2014.

The Harper government will set up new regulations to the Marijuana 
Medical Access Program, imposing restrictions on growers.

"Smaller operations will not be in existence," Upton said. "We're 
moving towards larger commercial operations."

The City is also considering three proposed amendments to zoning 
bylaws to bring City regulations in line with the changing views of 
the federal government.

For Janzen and Sharkey, the process isn't moving fast enough.

"The City knows it's coming, why aren't they doing something now?" 
Sharkey said. "The City of Kamloops has dropped the ball."

But a City representative said the municipality has limited tools.

"The legal grow-ops are completely and totally in the federal 
jurisdiction and the only jurisdiction we might have over them is 
with the building code," said Randy Lambright, planning and 
development manager for the City of Kamloops.

"Surrey is one of the only places to have adopted municipal rules and 
from what our legal department is telling us, it's arguable whether 
or not that is legal."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom