Pubdate: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 Source: Peace Arch News (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 Peace Arch News Contact: http://www.peacearchnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1333 JUSTICE SMART LIVES UP TO HIS SURNAME The B.C. Supreme Court got it right. Last week, Justice William Smart ruled that Surrey's grow-op inspection initiative - the Safety Standards Amendment Act - does not violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and can continue to be used to combat marijuana grow operations in Surrey, and by extension, all B.C. municipalities. The one caveat? The teams, previously made up of city bylaw inspectors, fire department members and RCMP officers, can no longer use police to inspect the premises. "A police search of a private residence, even when conducted in aid of an electrical safety inspection, is intrusive," Smart said. Fair enough. After all, keeping cops out of the equation won't impact the effectiveness of the program. Prosecution was never the intention of the initiative, which was launched by Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis in March 2005 after a successful pilot project in Surrey. Homeowners with unusually high power consumption are notified they will be subject to an inspection. If they refuse, or a grow operation is found, the power to the home is shut off. No juice, no ganja. And the concept has worked. Since its inception three years ago, the Surrey grow-op team has shut down nearly 1,000 pot operations. Garis believes many growers have moved to the B.C. Interior. (Maybe communities there should look at implementing Surrey's idea). Marijuana grow operations have become a scourge of neighbourhoods. They bring with them the threat of violence, and once growers move on, the damaged homes - often contaminated with mould and other toxins - are passed on to unsuspecting buyers. Surrey's inspection teams are an effective tool in the fight against drug crime. Justice Smart lived up to his surname with this decision. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart