WHEREAS it is in the public interest to ensure the safety of buildings after they have been used for the growing or production of controlled substances; AND WHEREAS regional districts do not have the same legislative authority as municipalities to enact controlled substance property bylaws grow-op within their jurisdictions, even though regional districts experience many of the same issues as municipalities in dealing with properties that have been used for the growing or production of controlled substances; AND WHEREAS the Thompson-Nicola Regional District believes that regional districts should possess the same legislative authority as municipalities to adopt a controlled substance property bylaw within their respective electoral areas, for the purposes of protecting the health and welfare of citizens and taking any necessary remedial works that may be required to improve impacted structures: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities lobby the provincial government to permit regional districts to adopt controlled substance property bylaws.
Ministry of Community Services Regional districts generally do not have the same scope of bylaw powers that municipalities have, especially in regulatory matters. This has been based on the premise that rural areas do not typically have the same need to regulate on the range of issues that more densely populated municipalities must deal with. Another issue has been whether regional districts have the infrastructure in place to give effect to such bylaws, such as enforcement mechanisms. The Government of British Columbia recognizes that there may be some special circumstances in some cases. This is usually done by way of a pilot project which can be evaluated. If a regional district wishes to implement drug control bylaws comparable to those in municipalities and considers that it can demonstrate the real need and capacity for special authority, the regional district should contact the Ministry of Community Services to discuss the possibility of custom designed regulatory authority to address the particular needs of the regional district.