The discovery of a marijuana grow-up operation at 2600 Jane, right next door to the 1900 Sheppard Redevelopment Project, was widely covered in the mass-media and led to the discovery of another grow-up, around the corner, at 2020 Sheppard Ave. W.

According to the Toronto Star, "the grow-ops, scattered throughout nine floors of 2600 Jane St. — a 13-storey building with roughly 117 units on the northwest corner of a busy intersection anchored by strip-mall businesses and the Jane-Sheppard Mall — is one of the largest discovered in Toronto". Furthermore, the "catch", consisting of 660 plants, has a street value of about 6.6 million dollars, and was scattered throughout 22 apartments scattered over 9 floors. "From what we can tell, they all appear to be built the same way," said Det. Sgt. Dave Malcolm of the Toronto police drug squad. "They all appear to be soil-based, they all appear to be filthy and they all appear to be fire threats."

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, Ward 7 (York West), held a meeting on Saturday, Nov. 25 at noon, at the Domenico DiLuca Community Centre, at 25 Stanley Rd. Several news media outlets were present, including CBC News and 1010 CFRB radio, along with Toronto Police Service, Municipal Licensing and Standards, Fire, and Toronto Public Health.

Some of the news media covering the story include North York Mirror, City News: 1, 2, 3, CBC, AM640: 1, 2, The Globe and Mail: 1, 2, CTV: 1, 2, 3, 4, Toronto Star: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Toronto Sun, London Free Press.

"The trend we are seeing is they are using apartment buildings because of the extremely high vacancy rate — and availability," said Det. Sgt. Dave Malcolm of the Toronto Police Service drug squad. Nearing an all-time high, the average vacancy rate in 2005 was 3.7 per cent in Toronto, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.'s most recent survey. Staff Insp. Don Campbell stated: "We asked some of the people (who said) because of the ventilation system they didn't detect it. As soon as we disconnected it, they say it was evident marijuana was being grown." According to the Toronto Star, a contractor familiar with highrise buildings in the GTA said yesterday he believes some landlords stuck with a surplus of empty apartments have become "lackadaisical" in their "screening processes." Low interest rates, a booming housing and condo market, and an increased supply of rental units have caused the glut. But Brad Butt, president of the Greater Toronto Apartment Association, rejects the idea that a high or low vacancy rate accounts for more growers turning to apartments. "Nobody wants this," he said yesterday. "There's no advantage to the landlord to have this kind of thing discovered because the unit now is going to be vacant for many, many months while it gets cleaned up ... It's a hugely expensive issue for our industry." When these discoveries are made by police, invariably it's the landlords who are the victims, said Butt. In 2005, Toronto police busted 250 grow-ops and are on track to do the same this year. Grow-ops have also been discovered in private condominiums in Toronto. Mike Chopowick, manager of public policy for the Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario, said there are varying standards for screening would-be renters.

A rather unorthodox view is taken in viewpoint by Georgie Binks and hosted by CBC, Baby boom pot smokers' principles up in smoke. After criticizing the baby boomers generation for being hypocritical in having indulged in pot smoking in their youth but falling prey to their parents' point of view now, the article concludes with a quote: Osgoode Hall law professor Alan Young says, "People who smoked marijuana in the 60s or 70s as parents have fallen prey to some of the hysterical claims to keep their children abstainers. This is the generation that should be moving for law reform, but they’re almost forsaking their past and taking this very hypocritical position that what was good for them is not good for their children. I’m one of the few people carrying the burden of still being a pot smoker because all of these productive businessmen, politicians, lawyers and judges I know who partake refuse to say anything about it." Myself, I stopped smoking it 20 years ago because I got sick of the way I felt. But I have a number of friends who smoke, some of them to get to sleep, others to relax and still others to get high. I have nothing to benefit from seeing it decriminalized. I just happen to think it’s time the influential people in this country who smoke pot every weekend #8212; the businesspeople, lawmakers and professionals — came out of the closet and tried to change the law.

Councillor Mammoliti stated: "There are too many questions that need to be asked with respect to the health and safety of the community, such as, are the tenants safe to stay in the building? Do the tenants have to be moved and if so, how do we move them? How much did the owners know about the grow-ops and who was paying them rent for these units? Why hasn't by-law enforcement flagged this building as a possible slum? I feel the urgency to call this meeting to answer these vital questions."

We asked Councillor Mammoliti two questions:

1. We believe that the higher crime rates at Jane and Sheppard and drug use are generated by a concentration of low-income housing in the area without the support services that should go along with it. What is he going to do about it?
2. We know that city inspectors are told to turn a blind eye to subsidized housing units and focus instead on privately owned rental accommodations. If these massive grow-up operations are taking place in privately owned buildings, one can only wonder what is happening in subsidized housing. What about these people and the abject conditions they live in?

Unfortunately, Councillor Mammoliti thought this was a personal attack on himself and stated that 2600 Jane is not subsidized housing, but he'd be happy to answer the questions in private. We do appreciate his openness to dialogue and are looking forward to meet him.