LAW AIMS AT PROTECTING AGAINST GROW-OPS

New legislation passed last week gives fire departments,
municipalities and electricity distributors new tools to fight
marijuana grow-ops.

Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Monte Kwinter
said, "We are determined to provide our partners in municipalities,
emergency services and the private sector with the tools they need to
safeguard our neighbourhoods and families, and to protect Ontario's
economy from these irresponsible operations..."

The Law Enforcement and Forfeited Property Management Statute Law
Amendment Act, 2005 was developed after consultation with police,
fire officials, municipalities, electricity distributors and
representatives from the banking, insurance and real estate sectors.

Under the new law, which amends several existing statutes, after
police have confirmed a property was used for a grow-op,
municipalities are required to have an inspector check the property.

If the inspector determines the property is unsafe, remedial work
will be done before anyone can live in the home.

Amendments to the Fire Protection and Prevention Act allow for the
doubling of penalties for violations of the Ontario Fire Code.
Violators can now be punished with fines of up to $50,000 or one year
in jail, or both. The fines can reach $100,000 for corporations.

Electricity distribution companies now have the authority to cut the
electricity supply without notice to any property when the
distributor believes there is a threat to public safety.

Daffyd Roderick, spokesperson for Hydro One, said the new law doesn't
change much about the way the company already works with police. He
says that Hydro One watches for power theft in general, not just
those that may be related to grow ops.

"We have always worked closely with law enforcement," he said. "But,
when the legislation comes into effect in February, fines for theft
of power can be doubled."

Because grow ops require vast quantities of electricity to power
production equipment, Mr. Roderick was asked if police are tipped off
to customers with unusually large hydro consumption.

He said Hydro One workers, such as meter readers, are trained to
notice what he described as 'theft of power' situations.

"Marijuana grow operations use about 50 times the power a normal
household would use, and usually people involved in them find a way
to steal that power," Mr. Roderick explained.

"Our employees are very highly trained and can tell if meters or
other power equipment has been tampered with. If a Hydro worker sees
obvious signs of a theft of power, law enforcement is alerted."

Mr. Roderick pointed out that grow-ops are often very sophisticated,
but that tampering with electrical meters or other equipment is very dangerous.

"The vast majority of customers are honest," he said. "There are
those, however, including people involved in grow-ops, who for
whatever reason try and steal power. They try tampering with the
meter or equipment. But, it's very high risk. This legislation is a
strengthening of the existing laws, but there isn't much that's
changed in the way we already do things."