CTV News has obtained a list of the more than 1,000 homes in Toronto that have been used as marijuana grow-operations since 2003, but there are calls to make the information available to the public.
Police Chief Bill Blair says the force is considering posting the addresses on its website, but he said there are some legal and privacy issues involved.
CTV obtained the list after filing a Freedom of Information request. Some city councillors said it was material even they couldn't get their hands on.
"Wow, this is enormous," Councillor Michael Thompson said as he scoured the pages.
Thompson believes there are many properties being re-sold to unsuspecting homebuyers.
"It appears to me that there are so many grow-ops now that we don't have ample staff from Municipal Licensing and Standards in order to deal with their response needed to check as to whether or not properties are actually complying to orders," he said.
Others, such as real estate lawyer Bob Aaron, cite health concerns as a reason why the list should be readily available to the public.
"This is a public health issue and I think it's important that the public know what properties in the City of Toronto have been used as grow labs, because if you live in one of these places and it hasn't been properly remediated, it can have serious health effects," he said.
As soon as Aaron was shown the thick document, he immediately photocopied it.
"Every real estate office in the city is going to have to have this," he said. "Nobody is going to be able to buy or sell a house without reference to this list."
The following is a breakdown of the number of marijuana grow-op homes police have raided in recent years:
- 2003: 140 homes;
- 2004: 320 homes;
- 2005: 290 homes;
- 2006: 287 homes.
Real estate agents who are aware that a home was once a grow-op are obliged to disclose the information to potential buyers.
With a report from CTV's Austin Delaney
