New legislation will help combat residential indoor marijuana grow operations

    TORONTO, Oct. 19 /CNW/ - New legislation to be introduced in the

Legislature today is the first step in the McGuinty government's strategy to

get tough on marijuana grow operations, Monte Kwinter, Minister of Community

Safety and Correctional Services, said today.

    "Indoor marijuana grow ops in Ontario are a billion-dollar-a-year

business, one that fuels the trafficking of guns and hard drugs while

threatening the health and safety of our communities," Kwinter said. "In March

of this year, at our Green Tide Summit, police and the private sector asked

for the tools to go after grow ops. We are providing them. The legislation we

are introducing today will, if passed, make our communities safer by helping

local authorities identify and combat grow ops."

    "The McGuinty government, the private sector and the policing community

are united in our efforts to rid our communities of these operations," Kwinter

said. "We intend to do everything in our power to shut them down."

    The proposed legislation, if passed, would:

    -   allow local hydro distribution companies to disconnect hydro without

        notice in accordance with a court order or for emergency, safety or

        system reliability reasons - such as a grow op;

    -   require building inspections of all homes that police confirm

        contained a grow op. If buildings are deemed unsafe, inspectors are

        required to issue orders for repair; and,

    -   amend the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, by doubling the

        maximum penalties under the act for any contraventions of the Ontario

        Fire Code, such as tampering with wiring that would cause excessive

        heating that would lead to a fire, something commonly done in grow

        ops.

    The proposed legislation also provides for setting up a special purpose

account so that the proceeds of seized assets from grow ops and other such

criminal activities - for example, real estate, vehicles and other equipment -

can be spent on enforcement, crime prevention and compensating victims.

    As part of the government's ongoing strategy to combat grow ops - and in

response to recommendations from the Green Tide Summit - Kwinter also

announced the formation of an Action Group. Made up of government, police and

private sector representatives, the Action Group will meet regularly to

develop integrated plans to fight the problem. The financial, insurance and

electrical authorities have all agreed to participate. The Action Group's

first meeting is tomorrow.

    "It's important that government, police and the hydro, insurance and

financial sectors continue to work together to eradicate marijuana grow

operations," OACP President Chief Paul Hamelin said. "The Green Tide Summit

succeeded in raising public awareness to the serious threats posed by grow

ops, which are largely controlled by organized crime. We are pleased that

progress is being made in controlling this menace to our communities."

    "This is a fight the police can't battle alone," said Ontario Provincial

Police Detective Chief Superintendent Frank Ryder. "With a concerted effort by

all our stakeholders, our neighbourhood and communities will be safer places

to live."

    "By continuing to work together, I know we will ultimately win and our

communities will be safer and more liveable for us all," Kwinter said.

    Backgrounder

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             MARIJUANA GROW OPERATIONS AND THE GREEN TIDE REPORT

    In 2003, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police produced a report

called Green Tide: Indoor Marijuana Cultivation and Its Impact on Ontario.

Here are highlights from that report:

    -   In 2002, grow ops were estimated to have cost Ontario nearly

        $100 million. As much as 85 per cent of these financial losses stem

        from the large amounts of electricity that grow house operators

        routinely steal from Ontario's electrical utilities.

    -   The likelihood of fire in a grow op dwelling is as much as 40 times

        greater than the likelihood of fire in a typical private dwelling in

        Ontario.

    -   Children are at risk from grow op activity, as families of 'crop

        sitters' sometimes live in grow ops to add an air of legitimacy to

        the operation. As many as 10,000 children may have resided in grow op

        dwellings over the 2000-2003 period.

    -   In 2002, in the York, Peel and Waterloo regions combined, 17 per cent

        of grow ops were located within 500 metres of a primary or secondary

        school.

    -   There is a health risk for those living in grow houses from the mould

        associated with hydroponic cultivation, the chemicals used to foster

        plant growth and the high concentrations of carbon dioxide and carbon

        monoxide in such operations.

    In 2001, Toronto Police Service dismantled 33 indoor marijuana

operations. In 2003, that number rose to 140. To date in 2004, they have

dismantled 248 indoor operations with a street value of more than

$83.2million.