As B.C. grapples with an increase in clandestine drug labs, a new report says provincewide standards are needed to ensure properties are cleaned up and made safe
As B.C. grapples with clandestine drug production, a new study says provincewide standards are needed to ensure properties associated with the illicit trade are cleaned up and made safe.
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The study, carried out by University of the Fraser Valley criminologists in partnership with the B.C. Real Estate Association, looked at RCMP data on 204 drug houses uncovered from 2021 to 2023.
They found consistent minimum standards for declaring a residence safe to occupy, but differences in how communities defined a controlled-substance property, as well as the level of detail with respect to remediation requirements.
And there was no specific requirement in some areas for cleanup crews to be certified.
“The health hazards and safety issues associated with drug production in residential homes are complex, as the risks of exposure and safety issues may vary by drug type,” the report said.
“More broadly, there are increased health and safety concerns when the residence has been used for the production of synthetic drugs because of the presence of contaminants, the ability of labs to tests for certain contaminants, the introduction of new drugs being produced, the ability of health and safety standards to keep up to date, the certification of companies undertaking the remediation process, and the varying municipal standards for residential remediation.”
During the period studied, “most incidents occurred in a single detached house, townhouse, or duplex, and the most common drugs involved in residential drug production were marijuana and methamphetamine,” the report said.
But Lee and Cohen noted that there was an overall decline in the number of drug houses over the three years, from 115 cases in 2021 to just 37 cases in 2023. More than half were growing cannabis.
“For a file to be included in this database, the residential home had to be in an RCMP police jurisdiction, the residence had to come to the attention of the police, and, upon police investigation, the residence had to be found to be involved in drug production,” the researchers noted.
More recently, the RCMP has uncovered synthetic drug “super labs” producing fentanyl and methamphetamine on rural properties in the Fraser Valley and B.C. Interior. Canada’s largest super lab was raided in Falkland last month.
Staff Sgt. Derek Westwick, who heads the RCMP’s specialized clandestine laboratory enforcement and response team, told Postmedia last month that in recent years, police have seen a “trend of labs leaving the more urban settings and moving out to rural settings” to evade detection.
The University of the Fraser Valley report also said that most of the experts and stakeholders interviewed “stated that residential drug production was not very common,” likely due to the legalization of cannabis in 2018.
“Many participants indicated that because of the change in legislation they rarely encountered marijuana grow operations in residences anymore,” the report said. “Some participants indicated that there has been a shift in the types of drugs produced in residential properties. More specifically, participants believed that there was an increase in synthetic drug production, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine.”
Lee and Cohen made a number of recommendations, including developing standardized provincial regulations as well as an oversight body, the creation of a training and certification process for those involved in remediation, and improved publicly available records on properties impacted to inform potential buyers and lenders.
B.C. Real Estate Association senior vice-president Trevor Hargreaves said in response to the report that “a single multi-step provincial approach would not only standardize and assure a high standard of repair, but this in turn would also help the would-be buyer of these houses to attain lending services and insurance.”
