Date: November 2, 2014 2:14:59 PM PST (CA)

To: “Letters (Times-Colonist)” <letters@timescolonist.com>

Cc: “Premier’s Office PREM:EX” <PremiersOffice@gov.bc.ca>, bill.bennett.mla@leg.bc.ca, “Adrian Dix.MLA” <adrian.dix.mla@leg.bc.ca>, “Andrew Weaver.MLA” <andrew.weaver.mla@leg.bc.ca>, “Commission Secretary BCUC:EX” <commission.secretary@bcuc.com>, greg.reimer@bchydro.com

Subject: Abject Failure

It really is time to call the Smart Meter Programme a total failure.

From the outset the Smart Meter Programme was foisted on us with no warning or discussion.  It was being implemented without review by the BCUC, without our knowledge and we were getting them whether we liked it or not.

Brochures sent out to households early on informed us we would save money on our hydro bills – didn’t happen and not about to happen.  Smart Meters do not invade privacy – not true.  Data can and will be sold to anyone willing to pay for it.
Smart Meters will prevent theft of hydro for nefarious purposes – hasn’t happened.  Smart Meters run for only seconds a day – not true.  They run constantly updating data between other Smart Meters and other equipment.  Hydro personnel will know within miniutes when hydro goes down in a particular are – not true.  Customers are still calling in that they have lost their hydro and hydro knows nothing about it being down.

Saskatchewan Power pulled all their Smart Meters due to their ability to start fires.  There had never been a safety check done on them.  The head honcho of Sask Power resigned for his negligence in seeing this was done before installations began.  Same holds true for B.C.’s Smart Meters, but our trusty Minister of Energy, Bill Bennett assures us we are safe as B.C. meters are a different brand.  The manufacturer is not the issue as many Smart Meters function in the same manner and are subjected to similar weather conditions.  Moisture from rain, snow, condensation cause mechanisms to short out.  Many B.C. fires can be labelled as “suspicious” and may well be the fault of shortcomings to Smart Meters.  Still no independent review and no resignation from Bill Bennett.

The B.C. Utilities Commission was established to look out for the safety and well-being of B.C. residents, but our B.C. government has effectively caused their impotence.  They were edicted not to interfere with B.C. Hydro’s actions regarding Smart Meters PERIOD.

B.C. Hydro is charging those of us who have stood up to this draconian invasion on our homes an extortion fee of $32.00 per month (+ GST to boot) to read our analog meters manually when the meters have NEVER been read on a monthly basis, always every 2 months.  How can anyone justify charging a monthly fee when no service has been provided?  And there are still a great number of Smart Meters being manually read at no charge to the customer.  Discrimination?  You bet.  To charge $32.00 every 2 months would be somewhat easier to swallow if any fee is to be charged at all.  Those who cannot afford to pay are forced to have a Smart Meter in spite of their valid protestations.  Or if they don’t pay them, they suffer the wrath of B.C. Hydro who delivers the cruelest of all blows by turning off electricity even though  these customers are paying for their actual consumption.  Does B.C. Hydro (a Crown Corporation supposedly owned by the taxpayers) actually have the right to leave people in the cold and dark and unable to shower or cook food to sustain themselves?  If this is fact the case, something has certainly gone amok.

Democracy?    I don’t think so.
Signed: A Coalition Member