1) Attached is a report on a fire that I mentioned in my fire report. It happened in Jan. 2013 in a restaurant in Vernon. According to this report water got into the meter causing the fire. This is the same sort of problem the Sensus meters in Saskatchewan had. Meters must be able to withstand rain, exposure to water, etc. The $meters burn when water gets in. Analogs would not. This is one of the fires that BC Hydro and Bill Bennett say never happened. – Look at the photos!
2) More information about some fires that have occurred in the US, some with tragic results. Unless a good, independent, honest investigation is done, without interference, we will never know how many lives have been endangered (or lost) due to $$meters.
3) Please everyone, contact your MLA and ask for an appointment to discuss the smart meter fires and the report on https://stopsmartmetersbc.com Remind them about the fire in Langford (that supposedly started in a planter) and the one above. When you’ve met with your MLA (or tried to) please fill out the form at http://sios.ca/emr/ . Results are available for all to see at: http://sios.ca/emr/MLAReport.html Let us know what your MLA said and what he will do. Maybe if they know we are tracking them and will share how they react to a very important issue, they will get involved and help us by doing their jobs.
4) Non-$meter. Re. smart phones. Warning that RF levels are extremely high and these gadgets are very dangerous.
http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/smartphone-users-at-a-higher-risk-of-radiation-exposure/
5) Lawyer in Massachusetts refusing to pay extortion!! This is what we are facing – and we must demand our right to not have to pay not to be harmed. Where are the agencies to help protect the public from a rogue government?
http://www.gazette.net/article/20140916/NEWS/140919353/1124&template=gazette
6) Below is the response (the form letter) that many of us have received from the Info. and Privacy Commission, and my response to Commissioner Denham. We must demand that these people do their jobs.
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Letters:
From: Dennis and Sharon Noble [mailto:dsnoble@shaw.ca]
Sent: September 16, 2014 1:11 PM
To: ‘Info’
Cc: John Horgan. Leader NDP; ‘adrian.dix.mla@leg.bc.ca‘
Subject: RE: Government failing to protect public re. smart meter fires
Attention: Commissioner Denham:
I would like to advise you that you and your office have been misled by BC Hydro, as has the public. It is your responsibility under Section 25 of the FIPPA to investigate assertions such as mine, not to accept, at face value, what the agency I am questioning tells you.
Fires have occurred. I ask you – did you read my fire report that I sent you? https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/TruthAboutFires-TheReport.pdf
You have not or you would not have sent me the form letter below. I have provided a report obtained via FOI from BC Hydro with 26 incidents which are similar in nature to those experienced in Saskatchenwan, “minor events” that did involve a meter failure and that could have become more serious if not caught in time. In addition, in the BC Safety Authority summary of incidents for 2012, 10 fires and failures are listed. http://safetyauthority.ca/publications/state-safety-report-2012. Do these not count?
I am attaching a report I received yesterday from the BC Safety Authority on a Jan. 2013 fire in a Vernon restaurant. The fire was caused by water getting into the meter. This is exactly the cause of fires in Saskatchewan’s Sensus meters. Meters must be able to withstand water since condensation occurs and cannot be prevented. Does this not count?
I would ask that you review this important information, and consider the ramifications of your accepting BC Hydro’s statements without performing an investigation. Lives and homes are at risk.
A technical report prepared by Canadian professional electrical engineers describing some of the many design flaws will be presented shortly. The meters in Saskatchewan are different than the ITRON Centron II used in British Columbia in that one flaw has been eliminated. The ITRON meters contain a lithium battery that will explode when overheated. The Sensus Gen 3 has been upgraded from earlier versions, and the lithium battery has been removed.
I will provide the technical report to you with the expectation that it will lead to further investigation by your office.
Sincerely,
Sharon Noble
_____________________________________
From: Info [mailto:info@oipc.bc.ca]
Sent: September 15, 2014 4:04 PM
To: ‘Dennis and Sharon Noble’
Subject: RE: Government failing to protect public re. smart meter fires
Good afternoon,
Thank you for your email.
I am responding on behalf of Commissioner Denham to your correspondence regarding alleged fires involving smart meters, and your request for an independent review of the findings of the Commissioner’s investigation report of December 2011 regarding BC Hydro’s implementation of smart meters in British Columbia.
There is no mechanism for appeal of the investigation reports of this office. Therefore, we are not in a position to review this office’s investigation report of December 2011 regarding BC Hydro smart meters.
With regard to your concerns about smart meters and fires, we have spoken to BC Hydro about these concerns. They inform us that the smart meters installed in BC are manufactured by a different company than those in Saskatchewan. Further, BC Hydro informs us that they do not believe the meters they are using pose a risk of fire that would require public notification under s. 25 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Our office trusts that, if anything were to change with respect to this issue, BC Hydro would inform our office and would also notify the public. We will not be investigating this matter further at this time.
We do remain in consultation with BC Hydro on the implementation of smart meters from a privacy and security perspective, which is in keeping with our mandate to oversee the privacy practices of public bodies and private organizations under FIPPA and PIPA. However, BC Hydro is ultimately responsible for ensuring its ongoing compliance with FIPPA.
Regards,
| Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for B.C. 4th Floor, 947 Fort Street, Victoria BC V8V 3K3 tel. 250-387-5629 | fax 250-387-1696 Follow us on Twitter | info@oipc.bc.ca |
This document is for general information only. It is not intended to be, and cannot be relied upon as, legal advice or other advice. Its contents do not fetter, bind, or constitute a decision or finding by, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) with respect to any matter, including any complaint, investigation or other matter, respecting which the OIPC will keep an open mind. Responsibility for compliance with the law (and any applicable professional or trade standards or requirements) remains with each organization and public body.
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From: Dennis and Sharon Noble [mailto:dsnoble@shaw.ca]
Sent: August-22-14 6:00 PM
To: Info
Subject: Government failing to protect public re. smart meter fires
Dear Commissioner Denham,
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act contains a clause under the heading Public Interest Paramount that trumps the rest of the law. Section 25 says government must proactively release information about potential risks to the environment and public health.
The Government has failed to alert the public about the dangers of combustible smart meters, and, in fact, has lied to the public saying that no fires have occurred. As recently as Aug. 1, 2014 Energy Minister Bill Bennett and BC Hydro have reported that the meters installed in BC are perfectly safe, unlike the meters installed in Saskatchewan. The government in Saskatchewan, after 8 fires and meter failures, stopped the smart meter program and ordered that all smart meters be removed and replaced with older style meters.
An Executive Summary of a report that I wrote which provides evidence that I have gathered over the last 5 months is at www.stopsmartmetersbc.com and the full report is at https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/TruthAboutFires-TheReport.pdf
This is just the tip of the iceberg because I have many more fires of a suspicious nature to investigate. But even the number of fires and failures that could have led to fires that I’ve found so far exceed the number experienced in Saskatchewan.
I charge that the Energy Minister, Bill Bennett, former Energy Minister Rich Coleman, and Gary Reimer, VP of BC Hydro and former head of the smart meter program, Gary Murphy knew about the fire risk of these smart meters and hid this information from the public.
I ask that you investigate why the government and BC Hydro have hidden the fact that fires and failures of ITRON smart meters have occurred, and continue to occur. Lives and property of British Columbians are being put at risk – and our government is allowing this to happen.
Sincerely,
Sharon Noble