ILLEGAL GROW OPS

MARIJUANA GROW OPERATIONS

Throughout Canada, marijuana grow operations are present in almost every town or city in every province. Because of this lucrative illegal operation, criminals are willing to take the risk. However, grow operations are illegal in Canada, and the damage to residential and commercial property can cost thousands of dollars to repair after the grow operation has been discovered. These buildings that have had the unfortunate grow operation occurring in the premises, have to be cleared of all health contamination and be deemed safe for human occupancy. Some questions we have been asked are:

What will police do when they find a marijuana grow operation?

When a marijuana grow operation is discovered in a premise, building or structure on a property, the police:

• Will conduct an investigation into the illicit marijuana grow operation.
• May notify the region or municipality in writing that the property contained a marijuana grow operation, if the building is in an area of municipal jurisdiction.
• The police will dismantle the grow operation and remove obvious hazards and booby traps prior to the entry of the premises by qualified officials from the municipality.

What is a municipality’s responsibility when notified of a marijuana grow operation by police?

When the municipality or region is notified in writing of a marijuana grow operation, they will ensure that an inspection of the building is conducted within a reasonable time after the clerk has been notified. Upon conclusion of the inspection, the official who conducted the inspection shall take whatever actions he or she is authorized by law to take in order to make the building safe and otherwise protect the public.

At Canadian INvironmental Services, we have conducted initial investigations to determine the extent of damages to properties that have been affected by marijuana grow operations. We have diagnosed the buildings and determined what needs to be done to bring the subject property back to conditions safe for human occupancy. These investigative steps and detailed reports outline what is present in the building and the proper remedial procedures required to restore the building. Upon completion of the remedial work via our outlined scope, we return to the building to test the building to determine if the building is safe for human occupancy. We have performed over 500 investigations for marijuana grow operations.