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Bylaw is met with resistance from landowners and property managers
By Hempology | September 12, 2007
Cowichan News Leader, BC
08 Sep 2007
Rebecca Aldous
POT INSPECTION BYLAW TO BE SCALED BACK
North Cowichan’s bylaw mandating bi-monthly property inspections for illegal drug operations may soon be dropped to once every six months.
In a f4-3 vote — mayor Jon Lefebure and councillors Ruth Hartmann and Glen Ridgway against — council has sent the bylaw back to the drawing board.
Councillor Dave Haywood told council the current bylaw is onerous on landlords and unnecessary.
“I am optimistic that ( the new bylaw ) would serve the object of the inspection program and at the same time respect the privacy of the tenants,” Haywood said.
Lefebure wanted council to evaluate the required two month inspections at the end of a year’s implementation, which started in February.
For Carol-Ann Rolls, manager of Cowichan Community Policing Advisory Committee’s programs, council’s decision is disappointing. Since 2005 the committee researched the bylaw and hoped North Cowichan would lead the way in an Island-wide strike against grow operations and crystal meth labs.
“The inspections would interrupt a grow cycle. Once every six months will do nothing,” Rolls said.
She added inspections don’t have to be intrusive to tenants. Landowners trained to look for signs of illegal operations can simply walk around the outside of the property.
She said the community is so concerned about drug labs it helped raise $15,000 for the RCMP to purchase thermal imaging technology to aid in proactive detection of grow operations.
“Council passed the bylaw and initially said they would back it for a year,” Rolls said. “We needed a year to at least see how it was going.”
Since the bylaw’s introduction it was met with resistance by some landowners and property managers.
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