The Safety Standards Amendments Act, passed in 2006, requires electricity companies to give municipalities information about residents with certain patterns of power consumption, who can then notify police and dispatch “safety officers” to inspect the residence. This civil suit was brought by a Surrey couple who had their hydro disconnected for refusing to allow RCMP to accompany “safety officers” in an inspection of their home. The BCCLA was an intervenor in the case and argued that the legislation is being used as a tool to conduct warrantless searches of citizens’ homes, which is a clear violation of the Charter.
