I
irie-i
the recent article about BC Hydro, the electric company in BC, canada, sharing private information with the cops is certainly disturbing. the news says that BC Hydro hasnt yet shared information with any authorities. whats more disturbing is that cops in BC have already been going around to people's houses telling them "we've been watching your electricity consumption, we know youre growing so you just better give it up!"
i looked into this a little further and found a copy of the act
http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/38th2nd/1st_read/gov25-1.htm
and exerpted for you the important stuff:
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Residential electricity information
19.2 (1) A local government may request, in writing, from an electricity distributor the residential electricity information with respect to the residences within its jurisdictional boundaries.
(2) If an electricity distributor receives a request under subsection (1), the electricity distributor must provide that residential electricity information to the local government within a reasonable time.
(3) A local government that receives residential electricity information from an electricity distributor under this section may disclose account information derived from that residential electricity information, or a portion of that account information, to
(a) an authority to which the administration of the Act has been delegated under Part 2 or Part 12, and
(b) a provincial police force or a municipal police department, as those terms are defined in the Police Act.
Notice of inspection
19.3 (1) If, after receiving account information under section 19.2 (3), a safety officer intends on the basis of that information to exercise the power granted under section 18 (1) (c) and (d) with respect to a residence identified in the account information, the safety officer must give a notice to the owner or occupier of that residence.
(2) The notice under subsection (1) must
(a) be in writing,
(b) state the safety officer's intention to enter the residence and conduct an inspection, and the reasons for the intended entry and inspection,
(c) set out the date by which the owner or occupier must reply to the notice to arrange a date and time for the safety officer to enter the residence and conduct an inspection,
(d) set out how to reply to the notice, and
(e) state that the safety officer may issue a compliance order if the owner or occupier does not
(i) reply to the notice within 2 days of the date on which it was received,
(ii) within a reasonable time complete arrangements to the satisfaction of the safety officer for the safety officer to enter the residence and conduct an inspection, or
(iii) allow the safety officer to enter the residence at the arranged date and time.
Compliance with notice
19.4 An owner or occupier who receives a notice under section 19.3 (1) must
(a) reply to the notice within 2 days of the date on which it was received,
(b) within a reasonable time complete arrangements to the satisfaction of the safety officer for the safety officer to enter the residence and conduct an inspection, and
(c) allow the safety officer to enter the residence at the arranged date and time.
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so what this basically says, as i understand it, is the local government must ask BC Hydro for the records of consumption. then they hand it over to the cops. realistically i believe the cops will pressure local governments to ask for the records.
if a grow house is suspect (90KWH/day or more according to the newspaper) a safety inspector must send to you a written notice for inspection.
whoever gets the letter has 2 days to respond, and then sets up an appointment for the inspection "in a reasonable amount of time"
so a grower theoretically has time to clean up before even responding to the letter.
i'm sure the cops will come with the inpector to deliver the letter, and to do the inspection.
if they see or suspect an indoor garden, then they get a warrent.
perhaps this is all irrelevant the minute those thugs bang on your door and demand to be let in becuase the think they know youre growing.
so if this happens to you....
i hope you have the balls to assert your rights!
JAH guide and protect
irie
i looked into this a little further and found a copy of the act
http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/38th2nd/1st_read/gov25-1.htm
and exerpted for you the important stuff:
---------------------------------------------------
Residential electricity information
19.2 (1) A local government may request, in writing, from an electricity distributor the residential electricity information with respect to the residences within its jurisdictional boundaries.
(2) If an electricity distributor receives a request under subsection (1), the electricity distributor must provide that residential electricity information to the local government within a reasonable time.
(3) A local government that receives residential electricity information from an electricity distributor under this section may disclose account information derived from that residential electricity information, or a portion of that account information, to
(a) an authority to which the administration of the Act has been delegated under Part 2 or Part 12, and
(b) a provincial police force or a municipal police department, as those terms are defined in the Police Act.
Notice of inspection
19.3 (1) If, after receiving account information under section 19.2 (3), a safety officer intends on the basis of that information to exercise the power granted under section 18 (1) (c) and (d) with respect to a residence identified in the account information, the safety officer must give a notice to the owner or occupier of that residence.
(2) The notice under subsection (1) must
(a) be in writing,
(b) state the safety officer's intention to enter the residence and conduct an inspection, and the reasons for the intended entry and inspection,
(c) set out the date by which the owner or occupier must reply to the notice to arrange a date and time for the safety officer to enter the residence and conduct an inspection,
(d) set out how to reply to the notice, and
(e) state that the safety officer may issue a compliance order if the owner or occupier does not
(i) reply to the notice within 2 days of the date on which it was received,
(ii) within a reasonable time complete arrangements to the satisfaction of the safety officer for the safety officer to enter the residence and conduct an inspection, or
(iii) allow the safety officer to enter the residence at the arranged date and time.
Compliance with notice
19.4 An owner or occupier who receives a notice under section 19.3 (1) must
(a) reply to the notice within 2 days of the date on which it was received,
(b) within a reasonable time complete arrangements to the satisfaction of the safety officer for the safety officer to enter the residence and conduct an inspection, and
(c) allow the safety officer to enter the residence at the arranged date and time.
----------------------------------------
so what this basically says, as i understand it, is the local government must ask BC Hydro for the records of consumption. then they hand it over to the cops. realistically i believe the cops will pressure local governments to ask for the records.
if a grow house is suspect (90KWH/day or more according to the newspaper) a safety inspector must send to you a written notice for inspection.
whoever gets the letter has 2 days to respond, and then sets up an appointment for the inspection "in a reasonable amount of time"
so a grower theoretically has time to clean up before even responding to the letter.
i'm sure the cops will come with the inpector to deliver the letter, and to do the inspection.
if they see or suspect an indoor garden, then they get a warrent.
perhaps this is all irrelevant the minute those thugs bang on your door and demand to be let in becuase the think they know youre growing.
so if this happens to you....
i hope you have the balls to assert your rights!
JAH guide and protect
irie
