AUGUST 19, 2014
Energy Minister Bill Bennett and BC Hydro say there have been no smart meter fires in BC. http://tinyurl.com/kvc4bdf
That is not true.
Evidence gathered only in the past five months proves that this is not true. See the full report here: http://tinyurl.com/ocmm7tm
We all have heard of the fires and failures in Saskatchewan and Portland, Oregon. There have been more fires in BC than in either of them. Then why haven’t we heard about them? Because they are not being tracked. And why they are not being tracked is a major component of this report.
A second component, and even more important, is irrefutable proof, derived from FOI reports and media sources, that fires and failures have occurred in BC and, unless action is taken immediately, will continue to occur.
Before the smart meter fires and failures can be tracked, the fires must be provided a code. But to be provided a code, there must be an admission that these incidents occurred. If an authority doesn’t wish to admit that smart meter fires actually occur, then no code is forthcoming. Which is the case.
That is the first order of denial.
Next is to target the only agency with the mandate to oversee the operation of BC Hydro … the only agency able to prohibit any perceived irregularities … and, by an act of the legislature, to specifically deny that agency, the BC Utilities Commission, the ability to do its job. Such is the purpose of the Clean Energy Act and Directive 4.
Finally, and this is not a pro-active hampering of agencies, as in the case of BCUC, but a failure to clean up a long-identified inter-agency quagmire. This is a situation in which one agency fails to communicate with another, and another with another, all involved in some measure with smart meter fires and failures … the resulting muddle serving to obscure the existence of smart meter fires and failures.
The evidence is clear. Smart meters are fire hazards and as such put into jeopardy the life and property of those who live in BC. It is incumbent upon all elected officials to act on that evidence by removing the ITRON smart meters and replacing them with analog meters (analogs are available in the U.S.). Should they fail to demonstrate the same degree of responsibility and care as do the governments of Saskatchewan and Portland, Oregon, then they will be held responsible morally and legally for the consequences.
The current document proves that ITRON smart meters do cause fires and failures in BC. The next installment will provide evidence documented by electrical engineers explaining why they occur.
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
director@stopsmartmetersbc.ca
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