Hash
New Member
BC - The first three readings of a new Port Coquitlam pot bylaw were passed by council at Monday night's meeting.
PoCo already has an illegal drug operations remediation bylaw, adopted in 2002, but Mayor Scott Young said the new bylaw allows the city to take action to protect future occupants of properties that were grow ops and recover costs related to investigation and clean-up.
Similar bylaws already exist in communities such as Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge and Coquitlam, but Young called Port Coquitlam's "leading-edge."
"This bylaw certainly sends a strong message that we as a city are serious about dealing with this problem," said Coun. Mike Forrest.
The core regulations of the new bylaw state that nobody can bypass hydro, water or natural gas meters to power a grow op, and if the utilities are disconnected or need repairs, the owner must pay to have them reconnected or fixed.
The owner must also clean up the property to a certain standard before it can be lived in again. Young said the bylaw has a higher standard of remediation than before and the owner is responsible.
Coun. Darrell Penner said being a landlord comes with responsibilities.
If the property is not cleaned up the city will post a notice, but it is possible the place could be cleaned up by the city and charges will be transferred to the owner as property taxes.
Why should landlords come forward when they know about a grow op on their property? Even though the owner will be required to make the property livable again, at their own expense, the city may waive service fees for diligent owners who inspect their property every three months and report a grow op promptly.
It is no longer a requirement in the bylaw for landlords to inspect every three months, although it is "recommended." Coun. Greg Moore said the city received some calls from people who didn't like the idea of inspections every three months, so it was removed from the draft.
Service fees include the cost of home inspections, fire services, police time, building inspectors and bylaw officers, plus an additional administration and overhead fee of 15 per cent. A rough estimate for a typical grow operation is $3,000 to $5,000 in fees.
All of the fees will be charged in the interest of cost recovery. If fees are not paid, they will be applied to property taxes. If they are still not paid, the city could ultimately sell the property to recover the costs.
Although this prospect has caused an uproar with landlords in the past, the committee heard from other municipalities and the police that there is very seldom an innocent landlord.
"We certainly could be accused of being heavy-handed here," Penner said. "I think that ( pleading innocent ) just doesn't fly any more."
Source: Coquitlam Now, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005Lower Mainland Publishing Group, Inc.
Contact: editorial@thenownews.com
Website: https://www.thenownews.com/
PoCo already has an illegal drug operations remediation bylaw, adopted in 2002, but Mayor Scott Young said the new bylaw allows the city to take action to protect future occupants of properties that were grow ops and recover costs related to investigation and clean-up.
Similar bylaws already exist in communities such as Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge and Coquitlam, but Young called Port Coquitlam's "leading-edge."
"This bylaw certainly sends a strong message that we as a city are serious about dealing with this problem," said Coun. Mike Forrest.
The core regulations of the new bylaw state that nobody can bypass hydro, water or natural gas meters to power a grow op, and if the utilities are disconnected or need repairs, the owner must pay to have them reconnected or fixed.
The owner must also clean up the property to a certain standard before it can be lived in again. Young said the bylaw has a higher standard of remediation than before and the owner is responsible.
Coun. Darrell Penner said being a landlord comes with responsibilities.
If the property is not cleaned up the city will post a notice, but it is possible the place could be cleaned up by the city and charges will be transferred to the owner as property taxes.
Why should landlords come forward when they know about a grow op on their property? Even though the owner will be required to make the property livable again, at their own expense, the city may waive service fees for diligent owners who inspect their property every three months and report a grow op promptly.
It is no longer a requirement in the bylaw for landlords to inspect every three months, although it is "recommended." Coun. Greg Moore said the city received some calls from people who didn't like the idea of inspections every three months, so it was removed from the draft.
Service fees include the cost of home inspections, fire services, police time, building inspectors and bylaw officers, plus an additional administration and overhead fee of 15 per cent. A rough estimate for a typical grow operation is $3,000 to $5,000 in fees.
All of the fees will be charged in the interest of cost recovery. If fees are not paid, they will be applied to property taxes. If they are still not paid, the city could ultimately sell the property to recover the costs.
Although this prospect has caused an uproar with landlords in the past, the committee heard from other municipalities and the police that there is very seldom an innocent landlord.
"We certainly could be accused of being heavy-handed here," Penner said. "I think that ( pleading innocent ) just doesn't fly any more."
Source: Coquitlam Now, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005Lower Mainland Publishing Group, Inc.
Contact: editorial@thenownews.com
Website: https://www.thenownews.com/
