Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Jonathan Denis says the province is taking a stand to curb marijuana grow operations and the health, safety and criminal concerns they pose to Alberta’s communities.

The province will host a series of meetings with members of police agencies, fire officials, elected officials at the municipal and provincial level, health and safety inspectors, building inspectors, representatives from utility companies, and realtors to discuss the safety issues associated with residential grow-ops.  Homes used in the growing of marijuana are susceptible to fire, electrical and structural hazards and may be contaminated by chemicals and mold.

The consultations will begin this month and continue through May of 2013.  The meetings will be led by Calgary-South East MLA Rick Fraser and incorporate videoconferencing to include experts from across the province.

“We want Albertans’ input, and these consultations will help us identify the issues associated with this illegal activity, and develop solutions to help protect and repair our communities,” says MLA Fraser.

Members of the public are asked to take an online survey to determine how Albertans believe the province is doing in the battle against grow-ops, whether the province should monitor residential water and electricity use to identify possible grow-ops, and to provide comments and concerns.

The survey is available at Grow Op Free Alberta.