Pubdate: Wed, 28 Sep 2005
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Vancouver Sun
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Gerry Bellett
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

MARIJUANA GROW-OPS TARGETED

Legislation permitting B.C. Hydro to furnish information on residential 
customers using suspiciously high amounts of electricity is likely to be 
introduced next spring to aid municipalities seeking to stamp out 
marijuana-growing operations.

Each year, police in the province receive more than 5,000 tips about indoor 
growing operations, but manpower limitations allow them to only check about 
2,000.

Kristina Stevens, director of safety policy and liaison with the Ministry 
of Housing, told delegates to the Union of B.C. Municipalities' convention 
in Vancouver Tuesday that the ministry wants to help municipalities combat 
the proliferation of growing operations through bylaw enforcement based on 
techniques used this year by Surrey and Abbotsford.

Stevens said one of the major dangers posed by growing operations is 
electrical fires caused by faulty and illegal wiring, but under the Freedom 
of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, B.C. Hydro is unable to 
provide information about customers' high (or low) use of electricity 
unless the information is sought by police as part of a criminal investigation.

"What we will do is seek to remove this from the act," said Stevens.

This would enable municipalities to ask for lists of hydro consumers whose 
consumption of electricity is out of the ordinary.

In Surrey and Abbotsford, teams from the fire department and bylaw 
inspection department targeted hundreds of residences that had been 
identified by tips as possible growing operations to ensure the buildings 
met electrical and safety standards.

The Surrey team found dozens of homes that had dangerous wiring as a result 
of hosting or having hosted marijuana growing operations.

"Twenty-eight residences contained 49 children and seven residences didn't 
contain marijuana operations but had secondary suites with unsafe wiring," 
said fire chief Len Garis.

"In all, 94 per cent of the locations dealt with under the system were 
accurate in having electrical safety issues," he said.

- - - -

In Surrey special teams from the fire department and bylaw inspection 
department targeted hundreds of residences identified by tipsters as 
possible grow ops.

119

were found to have faulty electrical installations

78

had their power terminated, as they were former grow ops

30

homes had their hydro bypassed

11

locations were given seven-day notice to comply with bylaws

Source: Surrey Fire Department, Vancouver Sun
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom