FortisBC Inc. (FortisBC) Application for a Certificate of Public ...

Theft Deterrence Calculation Chart, Fortis BC, April 2012
Files
Opened Diversions
High Load
Paying
total # of
sites
2006 568 57 71 128 45%
2007 254 21 21 42 50%
2008 206 28 27 55 51%
2009 189 13 32 45 29%
2010 215 18 52 70 26%
2011 262 12 49 61 20%
2012 134 10 22 32 31%
Ratio of Theft to
Paid
Appendix BCUC IR1 86.1
What appears to be relevant to these figures is the absence of the operation of the Safety
Standards Amendment Act of 2006. There are no local governments served by Fortis BC
that require Fortis to disclose account information of customers with high loads. It seems
probable that marijuana producers served by Fortis have become aware that they will not
be targeted by the energy authority unless they choose to steal, and, as a consequence,
they appear to be less likely to steal.
Consider, alternatively, the approach taken by Mission, B.C., Surrey, Abbotsford, and a
number of other Lower Mainland municipalities. A 2011 report by Plecas, Chaisson,
Garis and Snow notes that in the period from 2000 to 2005 only 13% of indoor grows
discovered in the city of Mission had stolen electricity. In the period 2006 to 2010 the
incidence of theft of electricity in uncovered grows in the city was almost five times
higher; 57 per cent of these operations had evidence of theft: the grows were larger, with
more plants, and a higher average number of lights. 3
It is worth noting that we have a province-wide 2005 report of theft -- a highly reliable
source of data, as it was based on 25,000 incidents of marijuana cultivation coming to the
attention of the police in British Columbia between 1997 and 2003; that report found
theft in an average of 20 per cent of these 25,000 cases. 4 It seems a reasonable
hypothesis, given these circumstances, to suggest that the Act of 2006 has prompted more
marijuana producers to steal electricity in order to avoid detection through the reporting
of high levels of energy consumption.
3 Darryl Plecas, Kristen Chaisson, Len Garis & Andrew Snow, The Nature and Extent
of Marijuana Growing Operations in Mission, British Columbia: A 14 Year Review
(1997-2010), University of the Fraser Valley, School of Criminology and Criminal
Justice, 2011.
4 Darryl Plecas, Aili Malm & Bryan Kinney, Marihuana Growing Operations in British
Columbia, Revisited, 1997-2003, Abbotsford, B.C., University College of the Fraser
Valley.
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