WAR ON GROW-OPS GETS A POWERFUL NEW TOOL

Surrey politicians, police and firefighters are teaming up to pull the plug
on pot grow-ops.

Solicitor-General Rich Coleman unveiled a pilot project Thursday that will
allow authorities to cut power to houses with marijuana-growing operations.

"Grow ops are increasing in size and sophistication right across B.C.,"
Coleman said. "We need to tackle this problem from every angle to ensure
that police and other authorities have the tools they need to protect the
public. This will send a message to criminals that grow-ops will not be
tolerated and we'll find all kinds of ways to shut them down."

Under the project, a team of firefighters, police and electrical inspectors
will investigate homes with unusually high electrical power consumption. If
the residence is found to be a hazard, or an inspection is not permitted in
a reasonable time, power will be shut down. A permit and an inspection by
the Surrey electrical inspector would then be required before power is
restored.

Surrey fire chief Len Garis is the driving force behind the new initiative.

The project was also developed with input from the City of Surrey, the
RCMP, BC. Hydro and the ministries of Solicitor General and Community,
Aboriginal and Women's Services, which oversees the Safety Standards Act.

Garis said the goal of the project is to protect firefighters and citizens
from the dangerous fires caused by grow-ops.

Garis said statistics show that a house with a marijuana growing operation
sustains twice as much damage as a house without one. As well, a house with
a grow-op is 25 times more likely to go up in flames.

He said the strategy is needed to help control and hopefully contribute to
the eradication of grow-ops.

"With all due respect to law enforcement agencies, the system has just
become so complex and complicated for them," he said.

"The incidents are growing significantly every year and it's pretty obvious
the system is failing itself.

"We're hoping that this will become a tool that will basically make it
extremely difficult, if not impossible for these types of unsafe
installations to occur in a residential setting."

Garis said the program will be evaluated in 90 days and depending on the
results may be expanded to other cities.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum said the program will help spread the message
that grow-ops aren't welcome in Surrey.

"The message is that if you have a grow-op in Surrey, we're going to drive
you out."