POWER LEADING TO POT IN POCO

More than half the homes investigated by Port Coquitlam's new Public
Safety Inspection Team have shown evidence of marijuana grow operations.

The team is the result of amendments to the B.C. Safety Standards Act
that allow BC Hydro to release electricity consumption rates to city
officials.

Those homes with unusually high rates can expect a visit from the
city.

Since PoCo assembled its team in January, it has knocked on 20 doors
and "we have found a little more than half of those [residents] had
had controlled substances on the premises," said the city's manager of
bylaw services, Dan Scoones.

Of the places that did not show signs of a grow operation, electrical
deficiencies were discovered. In a couple of instances, a host of
power-sucking appliances was enough to get the city's attention.

Scoones said the program was designed to alert the city to potential
fire hazards but has the added side benefit of shutting down illegal
drug producers.

Because one to two days notice is given before an inspection, grow
operators have time to remove any illegal substances from the property
before bylaw officers arrive.

But Scoones said it is still easy to spot a home that has been
producing pot.

"There are a lot of hazards with a grow operation... because of the
wiring and contaminants," he said.

And those hazards can pose serious problems for surrounding
residents.

"It isn't just a risk to the people that live there," he said. "There
is a risk to neighbours and there is the risk to firefighters who
arrive and don't know what they are going to see."

A home showing an unusually high rate of electricity consumption will
have an exterior inspection done by the city before a notice for an
interior inspection is posted.

Bylaw officers are accompanied by RCMP officers, fire officials and an
electrical inspector for the interior search.

A home found to have evidence of a grow operation or other electrical
deficiencies can be hit with more than $5,000 in fees and have to be
certified by the city before it can be occupied again. BC Hydro can
also be asked to disconnect the power until the home complies with
city bylaws.

Similar programs have been in place for some time in Abbotsford and
Surrey while Coquitlam started its Public Safety Inspection Team a
year ago. Pitt Meadows and Richmond are also jumping on board.

While the program works to shut down grow operations, RCMP Cpl. Brenda
Gresiuk believes it will also keep drug producers from moving into the
area.

"It is a deterrent," she said. "If you are thinking about setting up
shop out here, this is one of the approaches that can be used to shut
you down."