POWER PIGS WILL GET A LONG LOOK

Heavy users of electricity will be reported to police under a bill
introduced in the legislature this week aimed at helping cops catch
pot farmers.

Near the end of this month, municipalities will have BC Hydro records
on demand, data that will be turned over to police to determine
whether spikes in power use were caused by a marijuana grow operation.

Marijuana grow ops require large amounts of electricity, typically
three to 10 times the amount used by an average home.

"This amendment will help local authorities target and shut down
marijuana grow operations more quickly and more efficiently,"
Minister of Public Safety John Les said in the legislature Thursday
as he introduced Bill 25. "With these amendments, municipalities will
now be able to obtain information from electricity companies about
residences with unusual power consumption."

Under the legislation, names and addresses of the account holders
will be given to local authorities to investigate whether their homes
contain a grow operation, he said.

It's the latest tool in a revolutionary program launched by the
Surrey Fire Department that sees high energy users put on notice for
inspection. Non-compliance results in power to the home being shut
off. Surrey and Abbotsford are currently the only cities in the
region running the initiatives.

One of the main impediments to the program, investigators say, has
been the time-consuming process of acquiring BC Hydro information
through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. To
do this, the city first had to have tips from neighbours. Now, the
investigation process will be reversed: power records first, then
assessment.

"A key trigger for the inspections was unusual electricity
consumption but obtaining that information at the time was a
challenge," said Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis. "The greater
availability of energy consumption information is expected to greatly
expand the ability of these inspection programs to disable marijuana
grow operations in our neighbourhoods."

Launched last year, the Electrical Fire Safety Initiative (EFSI)
involved fire, police, bylaw and building inspectors tracking high
energy use and posting a notice that the home will be inspected in 48
hours.

"The pilot results exceeded expectation," Garis said. "The Surrey
EFSI team processed 420 police tips and rendered safe 119 grow
operations." Still, Garis acknowledged the new legislation will be
controversial.

"The new program may be viewed by some as an infringement of
privacy," he said, "however it is believed that the public's safety
is more compelling and outweighs any privacy rights.

"Through this legislation, the provincial government =AD as part of
its duty to its citizens =AD has enabled local governments to
immediately and effectively address the grave public safety threat by
residential grow operators."

Whether the police and fire investigate the homes in a blitz or over
a sustained period is yet to be determined.

"We just don't know what we've got out there," Garis said.

Representatives from B.C. Civil Liberties and the Privacy
Commissioners office did not return phone calls yesterday.