NEW LAW TAKES AIM AT MARIJUANA GROWERS

Municipalities will soon have the authority to ask electricity
companies for information about homes with unusual power consumption,
to help target marijuana grow operations and allow inspectors to shut
down homes with unsafe wiring more quickly, the provincial government
announced Thursday.

The relevant legislation, amendments to the Safety Standards Act,
should pass through the legislature this spring, Prince
George-Omineca MLA John Rustad said.

He emphasized the safety aspect of the proposed legislation saying
it's primarily meant to shut down unsafe homes before they catch on
fire, "and, of course, a byproduct is it's an opportunity to try to
identify some of these grow ops and shut them down."

Prince George Fire Department deputy fire chief John Lane also said
it will help prevent fires before they break out. Fighting fires in
homes holding grow ops can be more dangerous than usual, he said.

"Inside those houses we'll often find wires dangling from the
ceiling, we'll have unprotected wiring that doesn't have the benefit
of any fuse protection," he said. "So the amount of current that can
be drawn through those wires is basically limitless and that creates
a greater electrocution hazard for the responder."

A pilot program in Surrey based on the protocol saw 119 grow
operations shut down in three months, according to a government press release.

B.C. Hydro spokesperson Tarina Palmer said it currently takes a
freedom of information request to get such information.

Although she's still waiting for details, Palmer said lists providing
25 months of data would be provided for homes with high consumption rates.

"So it would show the ebbs and flows through two season," she said.
"Obviously, if you live in Prince George, your consumption rates for
everyone are probably going to skyrocket in the wintertime."