HYDRO BILLS LEAD TO GROW-OPS

Power Authority Compelled To Turn Over Details Of High Power Users

Heavy users of electricity will be reported to police under a new
bill introduced in the legislature this week.

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

Marijuana grow ops require high power consumption, typically three to
10 times the amount used by a normal 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 April 6,
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."

The names and addresses of the account holders will now 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
(FOI). To obtain an FOI request, 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," according to 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 (program) results exceeded expectation," notes Garis. "The
Surrey EFSI team processed 420 police tips and rendered safe 119 grow
operations."

Garis acknowledges the new legislation will be controversial.

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

"Through this legislation, the provincial government - as part of its
duty to its citizens - 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.

However Jason Gratl, president of the B.C. Civil Liberties
Association, said the legislation seems "neither necessary or
desirable."

He notes there are enough marijuana grow operations to keep police
busy for a long time, without the use of power records.

"It all seems a little much for such a purpose," Gratl said.

"This is one part of a larger tendency of this provincial government
to attempt to simplify the investigative techniques of the RCMP by
providing the police with access to information from other sources."