BY KEITH LACEY
A former top cop turned politician says the province will reduce one of the fastest-growing and most dangerous illegal activities in the province ? large-scale marijuana grow operations.
Because organized crime financially backs almost all large-scale ?grow ops,? the province is determined to formulate a new strategy involving law enforcement, but also community partners, said Ron Bain, assistant deputy minister to Monte Kwinter, the minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
Bain is the former deputy chief of police for Peel Region. Invited by Greater Sudbury Police Chief Ian Davidson, Bain addressed the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board Monday evening at Tom Davies Square.
Bain started off his presentation praising Dave Bedard, an acting inspector with the local service, who was seconded by his ministry to help formulate a new provincial organized crime strategy. A large part of that strategy will involve a plan to identify, dismantle and eliminate marijuana grow operations.
Bedard has been working with the ministry since last September on the new organized crime strategy.
?His job has been to identify things we can do a little better...and identify gaps to tackle organized crime,? said Bain. ?He?s been doing an outstanding job.?
Bedard said he?s thoroughly enjoyed the past several months working with the ministry.
?It?s been a wonderfully enriching experience,? he said.
The Green Tide Action Group has been formulated to specifically tackle marijuana grow operations, said Bain.
Because there are so many of these profitable grow operations, the strategy includes law enforcement, but also members from the banking community, real estate, electrical providers and political leaders, said Bain.
Bill C-128 has recently passed third reading at Queen?s Park and will grant the province and police special powers to identify and dismantle grow ops.
Law enforcers in British Columbia formulated a ?dismantle and destroy? approach, and were so successful many organized criminals left for Ontario and other provinces, said Bain.
?We want to take the lessons learned in B.C. and not make the same mistakes here,? he said.
The province?s plan will involve investigative, house entry, notification and building inspection protocols, said Bain.
The investigative component will see joint forces work together to discover who is funding these operations.
?We have to take the time to find out who is behind these growers...we know there?s a nexus between organized crime,? he said.
Insp. Dan Markiewich of the local police service, told the board grow operations are so profitable they are popping up with much more frequency in Northern Ontario and this community, noting there were three major busts in Greater Sudbury in May alone.
There has been a 250 percent increase in the number of grow ops in the last three years as 1.2 million plants have been seized across Ontario, said Markiewich. Almost all grow ops start up in residential homes, mostly in quiet neighbourhoods, often close to schools, he said.
The total street value of marijuana seized in 2002-2003 was $12.7 billion and a joint forces drug unit in Greater Sudbury seized $17 million during that same time period, he said.
Because so much electricity is needed to run these operations, criminals have resorted to stealing electricity with hundreds of millions of dollars
being lost by electrical providers, he said.
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