HYDRO'S EFFORTS WELCOME

Len Garis is no friend of marijuana growers.

In fact, Surrey's fire chief has been a big thorn in their sides, with
his aggressive initiative to shut down grow-ops through monitoring
power usage.

Now he's going to get a new tool in his arsenal - smart
meters.

BC Hydro is bringing in smart meters across the province, which will
allow Hydro and homeowners to monitor power usage on a day-to-day basis.

Municipalities will also have access to that information, and Garis
plans to use it to give the Electrical Fire Safety Institute, a team
of firefighters, police officers, inspectors and bylaw officers, even
more up-to-date information on where marijuana is being grown in Surrey.

The EFSI has been operating for some time and has put a big dent in
the number of grow-ops in Surrey. It can order homeowners to allow an
inspection of the property within 72 hours. If the homeowner does not
comply, the city can get a warrant to search the property.

Garis took on the grow-ops because of the extremely unsafe conditions
many were operating in.

In order to steal power from BC Hydro to operate the hydroponic lights
used for the plants, people were putting in all sorts of illegal and
highly dangerous electrical bypasses. Children were often exposed to
dangerous electrical conditions, and many homes themselves were
severely damaged as a result of the moisture and mould.

While the program has suffered a few minor setbacks as some grow-ops
fought back through the courts, Garis has remained
unrepentant.

He believes this effort is necessary as a simple issue of public
safety.

No matter what your position is on marijuana, and many people believe
it should be legalized, there is no question that the way it is
produced now is very risky.

Those who favour legalization should welcome Garis' efforts just as
much as those who oppose it, because plants should be grown in a safe
environment - not as a result of electrical theft, dangerous wiring
and damage to buildings.

Smart meters are being brought in to try and get people to reduce
their power consumption. It is part of the provincial government's
green agenda, which is trying to reduce the carbon footprint and
overall use of energy.

While almost all of BC Hydro's power comes from hydroelectric plants,
which do not consume fossil fuels, the demand for electricity is
growing steadily each year, and conservation efforts are very important.

Smart meters have other advantages. They eliminate the need for manual
meter readings, and customers will no longer have to call in to report
power outages.

Not only will BC Hydro be able to see immediately where the power has
gone out, the "smart grid" their engineers envision will eventually be
"self-healing," rerouting power to blackout areas until line repairs
can be made.

Smart meters can also keep track of power generated by a backyard
windmill or solar panels on the roof, deducting the amount generated
from the monthly bill.

All these are very useful functions.

But as far as Garis is concerned, the biggest advantage that smart
meters offer is their ability to aid in shutting down grow-ops. He
would be very pleased if grow-ops in Surrey become extinct.

He would be happy to have Surrey used as a test case for measuring how
effective the meters will be in closing down grow-ops.

His single-minded focus on the public safety aspect of grow-ops is a
boon to law-abiding Surrey citizens, far too many of whom have been
forced to put up with one or more grow-ops near their homes.

Any tool that will eliminate such hazardous uses of homes in
residential neighbourhoods is welcome.

Every home in Surrey should have a smart meter in place by
2012.

Frank Bucholtz writes Fridays for the Peace Arch News. He is the
editor of the Langley Times.