British Columbians may be shocked to learn they are footing the electric bill for many of the province's massive marijuana grow-ops.
BC Hydro spokesperson Dag Sharman says that when marijuana growers steal electricity, it's not the electric company that pays the price.
"Illegal grow-ops steal approximately $30 million, and that amount of money is paid for by people who pay their hydro bills," he said.
Sharman says that grow ops use roughly 1,000 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, which is enough to power 100,000 homes.
In Pictures: Off the Grid - Illegal Grow-ops and Electricity
"The vast majority of grows we attend deal with bypasses or outright theft of hydro in one form or another," RCMP Sgt. Roger Morrow said Wednesday.
The City of Surrey works with BC Hydro to target suspected growers, but Fire Chief Len Garris says more needs to be done.
"We would like to exploit new detection tools," he said. "We believe we can identify grow equpitment from the street by the harmonics that are being produced."
Garris says stronger regulation may help combat the steady crop of grow ops in B.C.
"Why is it so easy to buy hydroponic equipment on virtually every street corner?" he said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Michele Brunoro
