SEARCHES NEED TWEAKING

The Editor,

Re: "City Stands behind inspection bylaw," News, Feb. 8.

Having a grow-op or meth lab next to your home is a danger to all
neighbours in the area, therefore I can understand and appreciate the
RCMP and the city, for wanting the people to be safe. However, the
$200/month in hydro does not seem high enough to warrant a search and
should be raised. Living in a town home with windows, sliding doors
that leak like sieves, along with two kids and two adults to keep warm
in the winter, our bill fluctuates from $80 during the summer every
two to three months, to $200 and up during the winter.

During the winter months, our three baseboard heaters stretching 19
feet at 240 volts are a large cash cow, and still it is cold in here.
Upstairs, we have electric as well. A large home in Richmond should
average higher than this place, and I am certain a grow-op would
consume even a higher rate. A basic plug has only two plugs, and with
computers and peripherals, many people have a power bar or two plugged
into one outlet powering their computer, scanner, printer, chargers,
faxes, telephones, speakers, modems, routers and others.

New homes should take into consideration, we live in a world full of
technology requiring power and should be built with that in mind. A
two outlet plug should be replaced with four or six plugs already in
the wall or at least updated circuit breakers. In our bedroom alone,
we have a two plug, but need to have an alarm clock, telephone and a
light.

What would be better is to fine tune the methods of inspection to keep
it more "friendly." I am certain, there is no need to go through an
entire and in-depth inspection of someone's personal space. When
entering a premises, why not walk in and go through a questionnaire
about the usage first to get a feel for the occupants and habits. Then
have a quick look around.

What you are looking for, is a grow-op and I am certain you will not
find it in a closet, or a cupboard. Opening a door in every room in
the house, poking a head in should suffice. Parking a police car in
front of your home will make every neighbour suspicious and curious,
beginning a subject of gossip.

Why not do the inspection in an unmarked car? The RCMP do have a jeep
and mini vans, that one would have to take a closer look to see it is
an RCMP vehicle.

It is all a matter of planning ahead with meetings, pros and cons,
brainstorming how the people would react, or get some input for ideas
of improvement. Then, more meetings, before springing a bylaw into
action. Fine tuning should be done during the planning section, and
not after implementation.

Andrew Caras,
Richmond