Toronto Councillor Michael Del Grande has 28 former
marijuana grow houses in his Scarborough ward and he
wants everyone to know.
He has started a campaign in his
Scarborough-Agincourt Ward 39 to point out to
prospective renters and buyers which houses were used to
grow pot and are likely riddled with mould and
structural defects.
On Friday, he got the city's municipal licensing and
standards department to put work order signs on the
lawns of two former grow houses that have been raided
and shut down by Toronto police. The signs duplicate
actual city work orders for environmental and structural
repairs.
"These places are an epidemic," Del Grande said last
night.
Del Grande has begun his campaign by targeting two
houses: on Eagle Point Rd., in the Warden Ave. and
McNicoll Ave. area, and Chapeltown Cres., near Pharmacy
Ave. and McNicoll. Both were empty last night and the
signs gone from the lawns.
At Chapeltown Cres., the sign was leaning at the side
of the house with the words not visible.
A neighbour was less than pleased that the sign was
there at all.
"It will affect the resale value of our homes," said
the neighbour, who asked not to be identified.
The sign, more than a metre square, has a City of
Toronto logo and the words: Alleged marijuana grow house
operation.
It states that orders to comply have been issued
under the building code, and that the owner of the
property has been requested to provide engineers'
reports that structural defects have been fixed and
environmental contaminants cleaned up.
In mid-October, just hours after police busted
another indoor marijuana grow operation in Scarborough,
Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter announced in the
Legislature that he was proposing legislation that would
control the proliferation of the marijuana grow houses
and "make Ontario communities safer."
The proposed legislation would allow electrical
distributors to cut hydro without notice to homes
suspected of growing pot, Kwinter said. The new law will
also require building inspections of all homes after
police have confirmed a grow-op.
Del Grande said in a telephone interview that even
with the minister's threats "everyone is talking about
the problem, but no one is doing anything about it.''
"These people (the owners) barely patch it (the grow
house) up, paint it and sell it."
Six months later, an unsuspecting buyer finds mould
and structural problems, he said.