DANGER TO OUR FREEDOMS IN GROW OP PLAN

The Editor,

Re. "Power play against grow ops" (front page, The Tri-City News, March 7).

Wow, what a wonderfully stupid idea: Let's fight crime by taking away
the rights of law abiding citizens.

If an unfortunate individual happens to have a hobby machine or
carpentry shop, or grow and raise exotic plants in his basement and
uses more than three times the power of his next door neighbour, he
is considered a criminal and loses his civil rights.

If the unfortunate, law-abiding, taxpaying individual happens to be
away on holidays for a week or so and receives a 48-hour notice of
inspection, he will, upon his return, find the power cut off, the
contents of the fridge and freezer destroyed, the expensive fish in
the aquarium dead, the exotic orchids wilted and, to top it off, a
notice that he has to pay a fee of $5,000 to have his electricity
rightfully turned back on.

The above example could, and more than likely would, result from this
ill-conceived and poorly thought-out bylaw. What ignorant government
bureaucrat thought up this idiotic idea? He or she has to be among
the colossally stupid.

In Canada we have a Charter of Rights to protect us from these
dictators. Our freedom is in serious danger when those in power
believe it is acceptable to suspend the rights of citizens to catch
lawbreakers.

Gerry Shaw

Port Moody