Ensuring Healthy Homes for British Columbians: Provincial Standards for Remediation and Certification

A report commissioned by the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) in 2018 noted the health risks associated with residential homes involved in drug production and recommended a standardized provincial approach to addressing the remediation of these residential homes. 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. 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 across British Columbia. This report provides an update to
the 2018 report and includes the following: a review of RCMP police data on the number of illegal grow operations and synthetic drug labs in residential properties in RCMP police jurisdictions; a
review of policies and practices across British Columbia to address the remediation of residential properties used in drug production; and interviews with various experts and stakeholders. Police
data indicated that 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. A review of 20 municipal bylaws across British Columbia found consistency in terms of the minimum standards for declaring a residence as safe to occupy, but differences in how municipalities defined a controlled substance property, whether those tasked with remediation should be certified or licensed, and the level of detail with respect to remediation requirements. Interviews with 14 experts and stakeholders who had direct experience working on the issue of residential homes used in drug production in terms of legislation, policy development, oversight, or
investigations revealed support for a provincial standard on policies and procedures related to the remediation of drug-involved homes, as well as certification and licensing of those who do remediation work and training for home inspectors. There was less consensus on the issue of whether remediated homes should be subject to continued disclosure on the Property Disclosure Statement given concerns associated with stigma. From a health and safety perspective, standardization and regulation are important and whatever provincial-wide policies and
procedures are implemented need to consider the evolving nature of science and research, limits on technology related to testing of samples, legal liability, efficient timelines, and costs, and balance the rights of buyers and sellers.

Download (PDF, 570KB)