1) BC Hydro estimating consumption for almost a year
BC Hydro has been estimating usage for many months for some homes. Below is a letter from someone who has suffered as a result of Hydro not doing its job, as is required by our contract, The Tariff. Because the accurate usage was not billed, she had no idea that a tenant was using old baseboard heaters, resulting is too much electricity being used. Now Hydro expects her to pay for its failure to read her meter – it saved money at her expense.
2) Twenty physicians ask Health Canada to raise MW awareness
Yesterday twenty Canadian physicians signed a statement calling on Health Canada to raise awareness about microwave radiation impacts and minimize exposure in schools and other places where children are commonly exposed
(http://www.c4st.org/images/documents/hc-resolutions/medic…).
3) Citizens for Safe Technology Conference
The C4ST press conference yesterday in Ottawa – Dr. Carpenter’s and Frank Clegg’s statements:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=395502
and an interview with Dr. Demers, the head of the panel that reviewed the studies selected by Health Canada. Dr. Demers replaced Daniel Krewski, the initial chair who resigned after his affiliation with the industry was revealed.
TV News Channel: Wireless radiation risks | CTV News http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=318064
4) Corix has some good people?
From a member in Nanaimo: An appointment made by Corix
Corix guy, Dario, just called to say he’d be exchanging my analogue for an analogue tomorrow between 10 & noon. Very pleasant chat; he was impressed that I could direct him to a Mexican restaurant nearby!
5) In last night’s update I gave information about a lawsuit regarding a wireless water meter. The group that sent it to me has been told that it did not have authorization to circulate, so please do not forward or use in any way until we get approval.
6) Health Canada seems not to care about protecting the health of Canadians.
If people question Health Canada’s bias and lack of objectivity, here is a document that should demonstrate clearly that this government body has an agenda other than protecting Canadians from microwave radiation.
I would encourage all of you to forward this information to your MLAs and your MPs. It is time we took the responsibility for determining if prolonged exposure to this radiation is harmful away from the industry and industry-affiliated bureaucrats. The evidence is clear and cannot be ignored any longer.
http://www.c4st.org/website-pages/hc-resolution-documents/c4st-analysis-of-ignored-studies-full.html
7) Global TV interview biased in favour of Fortis BC
A typical article by the media. Dr. Ross Andersen gave a long detailed interview yet the vast majority of the time was given to Fortis, telling “untruths” without a chance of being refuted. Our best (and perhaps only weapon) is word of mouth.
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Letters:
Sent: July 9, 2014 1:56 PM
To: greg.reimer@bchydro.com; Commissioner.secretary@bcuc.com
Cc: stopsmartmetersbc@gmail.com; SmartMeters@bchydro.com; premier@gov.bc.ca; Mike Farnworth.MLA; bchydroregulatorygroup@bchydro.com; good@cknw.com
Subject: Billing Adjustment Requested
PO Box 9501,Stn Terminal
Vancouver, BC. V6B 4N1
July 7, 2014
To whom it may concern,
I received a bill from you on March 12, 2014 with a balance of $11.14. There was a balance because I did not receive a bill from you in December and therefore took it upon myself to remit $100 on account.
This invoice dated March 12, 2014 is marked as PAST DUE. Are you referring to the $11.14?
The bill is for $704.73, which came as a terrible shock. I called your office and was told that you have been estimating my usage since the April 2013 invoice. Upon your request, I took a picture of the meter and your office advised that the reading was correct.
There are several points I would like to make:
1. Just prior to my moving into this house, May 2011, the roof was replaced and new double-pane windows were installed from top to bottom.
2. In December 2013 I purchased new energy-efficient washer and dryer and hot water tank.
3. When my son lived in my downstairs suite, there was only he and I living in the house. He moved out early 2013 and I rented the suite out April 1, 2013. Since I have lived here, there has only been one adult upstairs (myself) and one adult downstairs.
After speaking with your office, I sought advice from others and that is why it’s taken me some time to decide how to proceed.
My previous tenant downstairs lived here from April 1, 2013 until April 30, 2014. Upon reviewing my Billing Graph since I moved into my house, it is clear that by chance, the entire year my tenant lived downstairs was the duration of time you were estimating my usage. It appears that my usage doubled during that year.
If you had read my meter even once during that year, I would’ve immediately taken action to find out why my usage had doubled. Because you estimated for the entire year that this tenant lived in my house, I had no way of knowing there was a problem.
In the fall of 2011, we had a gas fireplace installed in the downstairs suite and no longer used the older electric baseboards. The fireplace kept the suite plenty warm. It was not until I was showing the suite to a prospective new tenant in April 2014, that I discovered the tenant had all of the electric baseboards turned up, as well as the fireplace. This is the only logical explanation I can find for the increased usage.
It is my understanding that it is stated in the ‘Rate Schedule’ that ‘the meter will normally be read at intervals of two months.’ It goes on to say if that if there is an estimate ‘the next bill, which is based on actual meter readings, will be adjusted…’ I have also been told that the rates we pay include the cost for meter reading.
I’d also like to know why I’m being charged the exorbitant fee of $35 every month for the Legacy Meter Charge, when the meter is only read once every two months? This is clearly wrong.
I am happy to email or phone in my meter reading, and then you will not have to send anyone to my home and I won’t have to pay these legacy charges. Please advise the number and/or email to do this.
In summary, I believe BC Hydro has a responsibility for the increase in my usage because of their negligence of reading my meter for a full year, the same exact year this tenant lived in my home. If there was such a large increase, as stated above, I would’ve investigated and rectified immediately. Upon moving into the suite, the tenant was asked not to use the electric baseboards as they are old and ineffective.
I have made payments of $150 every bi-monthly billing period since I received this bill.
I am asking that you reduce the charges on this bill because of your neglect, that you refrain from sending me any more Past Due notices until this situation is rectified, and that you credit my account with the legacy meter charges for the months the meter was not read.
As well as mailing you this letter, I am also emailing it to Greg Reimer of BC Hydro, BCUC, the BC premier, my MLA and Bill Good at CKNW.
I would appreciate your speedy response in this matter.
signed ——————
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Re. To C4ST re. Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 from a member:
What you are attempting to do has been done before. “A Canadian Framework for Applying the Precautionary Principle to Public Health Issues” Can J Public Health 2010;101(5):396-98 states: “The lesson from these inquiries is that if the precautionary principle is not defined by Canadian public health officials, others will define it for them.”
In this article, The Rio Declaration, a more nuanced interpretation, states “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.”
Cost-effective measures in the case of Cell Towers would be to relocate the towers to areas outside the “killing zone” of 1500 meters from residences. Stop using later technology to disguise cell towers, i.e. “microcells”.
In the case of Smart Meters. it is self evident that the cost is a lot less with true analog meters than with Smart Meters. A Smart Meter in BC costs $555.00 and has to be replaced every 5 to 7 years and an Analog Meter costs $30.00 and has to be calibrated every 20 years.
“The various criticisms of the precautionary principle highlight the importance of clear criteria for its application. For example, Beloin and Gagnon suggest that three major issues must be addressed when determining how to use the principle: certainty of a cause and effect relationship, severity of the potential health impact and characteristics of the precautionary measures. They argue that the precautionary principle must only be applied when the alleged risk is sufficiently severe, the relationship between cause and effect is somewhat likely, and precautionary measures are acceptable.”
In the case of Cell Towers, the incidence of Autism is paralleling the growth of Cell Phones in the last 15 to 20 years. These numbers appear to be everywhere. Is this not somewhat likely?
This article can be found at
http://journal.cpha.ca/index.php/cjph/article/viewFile/2635/2275
Mike Testart (name provided with member’s approval)
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Sent: 2014, July 07 12:19 PM
To: Reimer, Greg
Subject: Failed to appear at appointment
Mr. Greg Reimer;
As I wrote earlier, I informed you to exchange my non smart meter with another analog meter the week of the July 1st week. The reason being that my son in law who works in the field was here, and wanted to supervise the work.
He has now gone back to Vancouver, and won’t be here till the August Long weekend. As for myself I will not be here either as I have a surgery date in North Vancouver next week.
Kindly do not send any crew out here as the meter is locked, and I do not wish to pay your silly $65 missed appointment fee. I think you agree that it was Hydro that missed the appointment. Surely, a week is a long enough time to change a meter.
I trust this is adequate notice. I will not pay the missed appointment fee. It’s just another scam, like the $35 every month for meter reading, when you and I both know full well you don’t read the meter each month, and estimate it for equal billing.
I am seriously considering discontinuing the pre-authorized billing. It gives you too much leeway.
For example, a sum of more than $400 was withdrawn on June 20th by Hydro which does not appear on any of my electronic bills. Has someone hacked into my account who pretends to be Hydro?
This then needs to go to the RCMP! Please answer by Wednesday of this week, if this is your bill, and what it’s for. (by email, or 604-xxx-xxxx)
If I don’t hear from you I will assume a hacker is at work, and will notify the police.
signed ____________________
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