[5G Microcells / Small Cells Antennas Public Right-of-way Siting Legislation – AMA – Angela Stacy – ANSI – AT&T (Chris Nurse) – Babies – BC Electrical Standards Act – BC Hydro Smart Metering Program – Big Telecom – Bill de Blasio – Blue Light – Brent Skorup – Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee – Cancer – Car Accidents – Comcast – Costs – CSA – Design Flaws – Doctor Maya A. Babu – Douglas Dimitroff – EHS Microwave Sickness (Debbie Chisholm, Shaun Drummond, Shirley Forster) – Elizabeth Bowles – EMF – Environment – EUROPAEM – FCC (Ajit Pai, Michael O’Rielly) – Fire Inspectors – Fires – Gateshead Council Facebook Statement – Gerard Lederer – Health Effects from CFL & LED Lighting – IEEE – Itron – Lifespan – Mark Steele – Mental Illness – Miscarriages – NARUC (John Betkoski) – PHE Public Health England – Safety Certification – Sam Cooper – Sam Liccardo – Sharon Noble Complaint to Jinny Jogindera Sims re FOI Act of BC, Section 21, OIPC & Transparency – Shireen Santosham – Smart Meter Removals & Replacements – Smart Street Lights – Sprint – Studies – Telus – The Parliamentary Assembly from the Council of Europe – UN – Warranties – WHO – Wi-Fi in Schools – Wildlife – Wireless | BC – Canada – Australia – France – Hong Kong – Gateshead, UK – Arkansas & San Jose, California & Lenexa, Kansas & Lincoln, Nebraska & New York City, New York, USA] & (videos)
1) Please see below in Letters a complaint I’ve lodged regarding the use of FOI to refuse to provide information to which the public has a right. Here is the response:
(click on photos to enlarge)
I hope others will write to Minister Sims, who was asking for concerns about the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Commission which is responsible for enforcing it.
2) Experts have warned about the health risks associated with CFL and LED light bulbs. In addition to the concerns listed in this article, the CFL bulbs emit radiation and cause problems for those who have epilepsy or migraines.
www.magdahavas.com/the-dark-side-of-the-cfl
https://www.activistpost.com/2018/04/i-like-energy-efficiency-but-i-dont-want-it-to-give-me-cancer-insomnia-mental-illness-obesity-or-hurt-the-environment-cfl-and-led-light-bulbs-not-so-eco-friendly-after-all.html
I like Energy Efficiency but I Don’t Want it to Give Me Cancer, Insomnia, Mental Illness, Obesity, or Hurt the Environment. CFL and LED Light Bulbs, Not So Eco-Friendly After All.
“On June 14, 2016 The American Medical Association released a statement about the harmful biological and environmental impact of high-intensity LED street lights.
Excerpts include:
“Despite the energy efficiency benefits, some LED lights are harmful when used as street lighting,” AMA Board Member Maya A. Babu, M.D., M.B.A.
Recent large surveys found that brighter residential nighttime lighting is associated with reduced sleep times, dissatisfaction with sleep quality, excessive sleepiness, impaired daytime functioning and obesity.
The detrimental effects of high-intensity LED lighting are not limited to humans.”
[Programs to use re blue light: 2) – https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/2017-10-19-emf-from-computers-can-affect-thyroids/]
3) In the USA, the telecoms are attempting to run roughshod over municipalities re. microcells that form the infrastructure for 5G. And, I’m sure if they aren’t doing it in Canada already, they will. Canadians are too unwilling to stand up for our rights – too darn polite to make a fuss. And worse, most people have no idea what 5G will be and what those funny boxes are that Telus is installing every 100-200 meters.
American Cities Are Fighting Big Business Over Wireless Internet, and They’re Losing
“For San Jose, the march toward 5G continues without the FCC. On Monday, the city struck an agreement with AT&T to install about 200 small-cell devices for 5G on light poles in exchange for $5 million in lease revenue over 15 years. Perhaps the worst part of the whole process, said San Jose Mayor Liccardo, is that most Americans aren’t paying attention: “When you’re talking about complex issues of technology and regulation, it’s often lost on the public just how badly they’re being screwed.””
& (video 01:06) – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-04-26/american-cities-fighting-over-future-of-wireless-internet-video
Letters:
From: Sharon Noble
Sent: April 24, 2018 8:26 PM
To: ‘Minister, CITZ CITZ:EX’ <CITZ.Minister@gov.bc.ca>
Subject: Freedom of Information
Dear Minister Sims,
Thank you for responding to my letter regarding my experiences and concerns re. the FOI Act of BC.
In your response you recommend that. if I am not satisfied with the information that I receive as a result of my FOI request, I “work with the public body” and, if necessary, with the OIPC to resolve the issue.
Could you please tell me what “public body” can help me? I assume you are referring to BC Hydro. As I said in my initial correspondence, I’ve been told by the OPIC that it is unable to do more than require a response within the timeframe. When I questioned the legitimacy of use of the Freedom of Information Act to protect a third party’s competitive stance to justify its refusal to respond to my request for information to which I believe the public has a right, I was told there was nothing more that the Commission could do. That is the reason I sent my complaint to your office.
I hope you will consider my experiences with the Commission. Repeatedly I have been refused information (please see the examples below) – inevitably to the benefit and for the protection of ITRON. Why should BC Hydro be able to refuse to answer my questions because to do so might be harmful to ITRON? How am I supposed to “work with” this public body when it refuses to respond to legitimate questions that concern issues of significance to the public’s rates or fees, or safety?
BC Hydro uses Section 21 of the Freedom of Information British Columbians to hide information. This is totally unacceptable. I ask for your help in correcting this lack of transparency.
With respect,
Sharon Noble
= = =
From: Minister, CITZ CITZ:EX [mailto:CITZ.Minister@gov.bc.ca]
Sent: April 24, 2018 10:24 AM
To: Sharon Noble
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information
Hello,
On behalf of the Ministry of Citizens’ Services, please find the attached letter from Minister Jinny Sims. [https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Jinny-Jogindera-Sims-Response-to-Sharon-Noble-Complaint-re-FOI-Act-of-BC-Ref-108287-April-24-2018.pdf]
Thank you
= = =
From: Sharon Noble
Sent: March 25, 2018
To: Minister, CITZ CITZ:EX
Subject: Freedom of Information
Dear Minister Sims,
https://www.e-know.ca/regions/east-kootenay/say-improve-freedom-information/
I thank you for the opportunity to express my concerns about the Freedom of Information Act in British Columbia, and the way it is being used to prevent the public from enjoying the transparency we deserve and expect.
Over the last 5-6 years I have been attempting to get more information about the smart meter program relating to costs, safety, health, and security. Unfortunately, to date every inquiry has been blocked by Sections 21 and 22 of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.
Examples of the topics about which I have inquired:
1) The costs for the program are the highest in North America on a per meter basis. How many quotes were requested and obtained? On what basis was the ITRON meter selected?
2) The smart meters are electrical equipment that normally would be certified safe by CSA, but, due to a loop hole in the BC Electrical Standards Act, they are not. Did an independent professional electrical engineer licensed in BC certify these meters to be safe? If so, please provide that certification.
3) ITRON and BC Hydro are basing financial projections of the program on a 20 year life expectancy, even though the industry acknowledges that smart meters’ life expectancy is 5-7 years. What is the warranty for these ITRON meters?
4) How many smart meters have been replaced and what are the reasons for doing so?
5) With the signed authorization of the victim of a smart meter fire, who inspected the smart meter after it was removed from scene before the fire inspector could complete his job?
6) Independent electrical engineers have identified many design flaws in the meter, one of which has never been included in tests done by ITRON, ANSI or BC Hydro. When told than an agency did test the component, I was run in a circle for the results, and eventually, after many months, BC Hydro said that they could not tell me anything about the results due to Section 21 of the FOI Act.
Minister Sims, in every instance I was told, after several months, that the information was not being provided because, under Section 21, to do so could “reasonably be expected to harm significantly the competitive position, or interfere significantly with the negotiating position, of the third party, or result in undue financial loss or gain to any person or organization. In essence, BC Hydro is protecting ITRON, at our expense. When I’ve complained to the Commission, they have told me that there is nothing that can be done. The Commission is limited in its reach, being able to respond only if the agency failed to respond. They have no authority to take action if the response is dishonest, disingenuous, or non-responsive. So, Minister Sims, what is the purpose of the Commission?
The Act is being used by BC Hydro to refuse to grant information that is of significance to the public. These dangerous devices are on our homes, exposing our lives, the lives of our loved ones and our property to undue risk. This was not the reason for the creation of the Act, and I would hope that you will address this misuse of this significant law. If you cannot fix it, then please do away with it entirely so that everyone knows that we have no hope to expect transparency in our government. Please either fix it so that it allows the public to know the truth about the workings of the government and its agencies, or eliminate the sham altogether.
Respectfully,
Sharon Noble
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
“When you’re talking about complex issues of technology and regulation, it’s often lost on the public just how badly they’re being screwed.”
~ San Jose Mayor Liccardo