A Hatzic property previously subject to a stop work order for illegal dumping is also in hot water for an unpermitted cannabis production building.
The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) conducted eight site inspections, mailed seven bylaw enforcement letters and issued 13 tickets for 11185 Farms Road during an almost one-year span beginning in August 2023.
According to a staff report, the outstanding fines and fees related to the cannabis structure — which remains on the property —amount to $6,630.
However, the regional district says the owner has not responded to the enforcement efforts.
FVRD directors unanimously voted in favour of a Notice on Title for the Farms Road location on Thursday (Sept. 12) at the Electoral Area Services Committee meeting.
The district will move forward to make future purchasers aware that the property does not comply with BC Building Code or FVRD bylaws.
Per the staff report, an application for a building permit to construct a modular cannabis structure on the Hatzic property was initially submitted in 2018. The FVRD building department issued the permit in 2019 but no progress on construction was made until after the permit expired.
“A bylaw officer attended the site, which was fully gated and locked. The contravention of construction without a permit was confirmed as the modular cannabis structure remained on site. There was nobody around during the inspection. A for sale sign was posted on the gate,” the report said.
According to the report, the current owner purchased the property on April 23, 2024 from the owner who constructed the cannabis structure and immediately began to deposit prohibited fill.
The FVRD says the current owner and listing realtor were notified that a building permit or demolition permit is required to resolve the bylaw enforcement.
“What strikes me about the whole thing was people assume it's there, it must be okay, and if there's a problem, somebody must know about it. This thing had just been sitting in plain sight for at least 10 years. It's now it's now derelict but staff picked up on it,” Area F director Hugh Davidson said at the meeting.
In April, an FVRD bylaw officer posted a visible Stop Work Order and spoke with the owner on-site to obtain the proper permits.
The Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) observed numerous trucks dumping fill on the property during an inspection on April 29 and also issued a stop work order.
According to the stop work order, an estimated 100 to 150 truckloads of fill had already been placed on the property, which is within the Agricultural Land Reserve.
The stop work order asked numbered company 1362014 BC Ltd based in Aldergrove to cease the deposit of unauthorized fill. The order also prohibited managing the fill already on the property.
Upwards of 30 stop work orders have been issued in the area over the past two years.
