Pubdate: Fri, 13 May 2005
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Province
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Lori-Anne Charlton
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

GIVE US GROW-OP GENERATORS: CHIEF

Towns Would Have Them If Power Went Out

KELOWNA -- A rural Central Okanagan fire chief has been generating support 
for an idea he has for recycling electrical generators previously used in 
marijuana grow-ops.

Wayne Carson, fire chief of the North Westside Fire Department, would like 
to see generators seized by police go to isolated communities in B.C. -- 
including his own, a remote community between Kelowna and Vernon.

Using their power for good, they could provide a backup source of 
electricity in the event of an emergency, he told The Province.

"Without power, we lose everything, including communication and water," 
Carson said.

Typically, the generators are handed over to the RCMP's assets division, 
where they are auctioned off. Carson claims many are bought back by growers 
who continue producing pot.

Purchasing the generators at auction is not an option for small 
communities, since the price -- between $40,000 and $50,000 -- is out of 
their range.

Carson wants Victoria to get first dibs on the generators, which would be 
distributed by the Provincial Emergency Program. They would only go to 
government operated facilities, such as his fire department.

So far, Carson and the North Westside Emergency Social Services have 
received letters of support from Solicitor-General Rich Coleman, the 
Regional District of the Central Okanagan, the Regional District of the 
North Okanagan and the Logan Lake municipal council.

According to Okanagan-Westside MLA Rick Thorpe, the bid should be 
successful -- especially if the currently tabled Civil Forfeiture Act gets 
passed. The act would give the government power to seize criminal assets 
and use them to benefit the community.

"Frankly, the people in the community should be the ones to profit from 
this kind of thing, not the criminals," Thorpe said.
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MAP posted-by: Beth