POLICE TO GAIN POWER TO ACCESS HYDRO BILLS

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 Thursday,
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.

One of the main impediments, investigators say, has been the time-
consuming process of acquiring BC Hydro information through the
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. To obtain a
freedom-of-information request, the city first had to have tips from
neighbours. Now the investigation process will be reversed: power
records first, then assessment.

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."