GROWTH FOR GROW-OP BUSTERS

More houses will be inspected by Surrey's Electrical Fire Safety
Initiative (EFSI) team, tasked with reducing house fires and other
public safety hazards caused by marijuana grow-ops.

The City of Surrey is doubling the inspection capacity of the squad
from 60 houses a month to 120 houses per month. The EFSI team
includes police, electrical inspectors and firefighters.

"This integrated approach will send a message to criminals that
grow-ops will not be tolerated in Surrey," Mayor Dianne Watts said in
a press statement Tuesday.

To date, according to the release, the EFSI team has inspected 353
homes with high electrical consumption. Of the homes inspected, 263
had power disconnected and 39 homeowners were given seven days to
correct electrical problems. Eighty of the homes that contained
unsafe electrical conditions contained a total of 155 children.

The EFSI initiative seeks to eliminate grow-ops in residential
neighbourhoods and make homes safer by strictly enforcing the Safety
Standards Act.