SURREY WATCHING CHALLENGE OF ANTI-GROW-OP PROGRAM IN MISSION

Surrey is watching closely as the District of Mission faces a class
action lawsuit against the city for its grow-op fighting program.

The Electrical Fire Safety Initiative (EFSI) was started in Surrey
about five years ago and has been initiated in other municipalities
including Mission, where it's called the Public Safety Inspection Team (PSIT).

Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis is the architect of the program and said
he's intrigued to see what happens when a group in Mission asks
council to dismantle the program today (Monday).

"I'll be watching it with great interest," Garis said Friday.

This city has been able to reduce the number of marijuana grow
operations by 81 per cent during the time the EFSI has been in place.
Many of those, he notes, may well have set up in Mission.

Under the program, BC Hydro provides firefighters with the addresses
of homes with extraordinary power usage, a signature of a marijuana
grow operation.

A firefighter visits the home and attempts to schedule an inspection
within 48 hours. If that fails, a notice is posted on the door and
registered mail is sent to the homeowner requesting an inspection.

If neither comply, the team returns with an administrative warrant,
and an inspection takes place.

If evidence of a grow operation is found, the homeowner receives an
administrative fee of about $3,200, and the home cannot be occupied
until the wiring is repaired to the satisfaction of an electrical inspector.

If no evidence of a grow-op or clandestine drug lab is found, the
administrative fee is waived.

In Mission, litigants say their city's $5,200 inspection fee is
nothing more than a cash grab.

In 2009, Mission dealt with 219 files and levied 137 inspection fees,
bringing in $712,400 to the district for the year.

David Eby, with the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, will be helping
out the Mission residents challenging the bylaw.

We'll be arguing for the court to look broadly at these sorts of
bylaws," he told Black Press.

Garis said he would be surprised to learn Mission was applying the
fee if there was no evidence of a grow operation.

"There's no basis for applying the fee (if there isn't evidence of a
grow operation or drug lab)," Garis said, noting that there is also
an appeal process built into the program, and if there is any grey
area, the fee gets dropped.

"I just don't see how it could have gotten this far under these
circumstances, frankly."

A group is expected to appear before Mission council today asking
civic representatives to end the use of the bylaw.

Garis said it would be unfortunate if Mission shut its program down,
even for a short time.

"What they're likely to see is a resurgence, because what I do
believe is that the dark industry of all of this is organized crime,"
Garis said. "If they're prepared to make that decision, that's what
the consequences will be."

A home grow operation can go from seed to harvest in three to four
months, so the criminals will be quick to pick up on the absence of a
bylaw, Garis notes.

"Along with this comes home invasions gone wrong, drive-by shootings,
grow rips, organized crime dirty money, all of those things come to
your neighbourhood to support this," Garis said.