To the Editor,
In the year-end events it seems there is always something to make you open your eyes wide. For me it has been BC Hydro’s “smart meter” installations now ongoing in Nanaimo.
I’ve realized that this program isn’t an idea whose time has come. Not only is it a case of putting the cart before the horse, rather it is a grand boondoggle to dwarf the HST fiasco and be retold in song and story.
The program has everything, from an initial $930 million price tag, meter reader job elimination, completion by unqualified contractors, and meters which themselves present multiple hazards.
These allegedly smart meters can interfere with your appliances, cause health effects in some people in the short term, can be expected to degrade the clean power to your home, and can even cause fires. Especially when jammed into old mains receptacles that worked just fine before.
While the list of objections to this poorly regulated program is long, the icing on the cake might be the contrast between Hydro’s own slick advertising and their reluctance to pay for damages.
Should you have medical equipment sensitive to radio frequencies like a pacemaker, you might consider opting out of the program. Check with your doctor, then do it by registered letter to Hydro.
Colin Frazer,
Pt. Alberni