Drug ‘superlabs’ leave a toxic mess. Some say B.C.’s cleanup rules are a mess, too

Dean May, co-owner of Calgary-based Mayken Hazmat Solutions, has been cleaning up the toxic mess left behind by drug labs in Western Canada for the past 14 years. As clandestine drug labs become more complex, so does the cleanup process, creating expensive and dangerous situations for both people and the environment.

In British Columbia, the RCMP have spent millions of dollars over the last five years disposing of chemicals found in labs, leaving the rest of the cleanup bill to property owners who call private companies like May’s. However, there is a lack of consistent province-wide rules for how to properly remediate properties back to being livable.

May notes that hidden labs making synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl and methamphetamines, using industrial chemicals are more toxic than marijuana grow operations and quicker to set up. This means that rented properties can easily be turned into labs without property owners knowing.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Derek Westwick, who runs B.C.’s Clandestine Lab Enforcement and Response Team, has seen the rise of increasingly toxic chemicals in recent years, especially with the prevalence of fentanyl labs. The dangers of these labs are so severe that under the wrong circumstances, the chemicals can melt officers’ protective gear.

In a recent case in Falkland, B.C., a property was found to be a drug “superlab,” where massive amounts of precursor chemicals were seized by police. The environmental mitigation and cleanup costs were estimated to be at least $500,000, with the possibility of being significantly higher.

The cleanup process for drug labs involves disposing of all chemicals and precursors from the site to render them safe. However, the responsibility for cleaning up any damage to the building or the environment is left to the property owners. In cases where chemicals from drug labs have been dumped, the Ministry of Environment may get involved in the disposal process.

Trevor Hargreaves, of the British Columbia Real Estate Association, emphasizes the need for province-wide rules on how former drug labs and grow-ops are remediated. The lack of consistent standards across municipalities creates challenges for sellers and buyers, as banks and insurance companies are hesitant to lend or insure properties that used to be drug labs.

As larger drug labs are found in rural locations, the need for standardized rules for cleaning up all types of labs becomes more apparent. By establishing consistent guidelines for remediation, the process can be made easier for all parties involved in the cleanup and sale of properties affected by drug labs.