NEW WEAPON IN GROW OP WAR

A new bill introduced in the B.C. legislature, Thursday, may be the
key to combatting marijuana grow operations in residential neighbourhoods.

The bill would give municipalities the right to request lists of
houses in their jurisdiction which have unusual electrical
consumption -- a common sign of indoor marijuana grow operations.
Municipal inspectors would then be able to give the residents 48
hours notice that they will search the home for electrical irregularities.

Police and fire inspectors did a pilot project on the new law in
Surrey in spring 2005.

"In over 100 residences inspected all but 10 had been, at some point,
active grow ops," RCMP Inspector Paul Nadeau said. "There is more
grow ops out there than the police can handle. We're trying to flush
them out of residential areas."

Nadeau leads the RCMP Greater Vancouver drug section.

Because of the 48 hours notice required, electrical inspectors found
very few active grow operations, Nadeau said.

However, inspectors found the tell-tale illegal and substandard
electrical wiring in over 90 per cent of the homes, he said,
sometimes hidden behind patched-up walls and ceilings.

"In a study by the University College of Fraser Valley, four per cent
of house fires in .C. are caused by marijuana grow ops -- nine per
cent in Surrey," Nadeau said.

Grow operations bring crime and danger into residential areas, he
said. The goal of the legislation is to deter criminals from using
houses to grow marijuana, rather than to catch them at it, Nadeau added.

Currently it is difficult for police or fire inspectors to obtain
electricity records from B.C. Hydro, he said. The bill, if passed,
would change that.

All communities in B.C. should look at taking part, he added, because
there may be some displacement of grow operations from communities
that enforce inspections and those which don't.

"The B.C. Safety Authority is involved, and will offer help to
communities that don't have the inspectors in place," he said.

Prince George deputy fire chief John Lane said fires caused by active
grow operations are not as common in Prince George as in the lower mainland.

"It happens maybe twice a year that I'm aware," Lane said. "Four per
cent -- that figure sort of figure seems very high for Prince
George." Lane said the nature of grow operations makes them a fire hazard.

"Usually if these people are stealing power, they bypass the meter,"
Lane said. "If the circuit is overloaded, and there is no fuse, there
is virtually no limit to the amount of electricity that can go
through. That can cause major fires."

Fighting fires in marijuana grow operations can be hazardous because
of hanging wires and other electrical dangers, he said. "From our
perspective it's more of a preventative measure to find them before a
fire breaks out," he said.