- Below is a Press Release that was sent to every media outlet, every MLA, and every fire chief early Tuesday morning. I believe that this admission by UL is very significant, confirming everything we’ve been saying for 2 years now. Please help get this out there. If you live in Adrian Dix’s or John Horgan’s constituencies please meet with them – and ask what they are going to do to get these off our homes. Adrian Dix is the NC Hydro critic for the NDP. Why is he so silent on this? Also, please get to the other MLAs. They are guilty, too, of being silent. Also, please get it to your local newspapers and radio stations. I will be happy to talk with any of them if they have questions.
– http://www.stopsmartmetersbc.com/contact/
- In the US, the industry is beginning pilot projects where people are “weaned off” their landlines, removing the copper wiring so that they are left with no choice but to have wireless phones, etc Someone did a presentation before Dianne Feinstein’s staff about the reasons for keeping landlines. These are points that we need to know because we know that this will be happening here, too. The presentation can be found at https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Keep-LandLine-Systems.pdf
http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7521084110
http://www.globalrenewablenews.com/show_article.php?mag=105&article=857
- A teacher writes about how when her third grade students were given ipads they stopped talking, or, from the sounds of it, listening.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/opinion/4910977-181/i-gave-my-students-ipads?artslide=0
-
Recently quite a few people have had their power cut off by Fortis, in the middle of winter, putting them, their families and their homes at risk. This in unconscionable. I believe that the most effective way of bringing attention to this outrage is for those people to join together to protest in various ways. If you have had your power cut off and would like to connect with others in the same situation, to strategize your next move (e.g. as a group holding a press conference, meeting with MLAs, confronting BCUC), let me know and I will facilitate connections. The voice of many is more powerful and will be taken more seriously than the voice of one. Send me an email with “power cut” on the subject line.
- The Auditor General has released a report about the state of IT controls. I may be reading it wrong, but it doesn’t say much specific, not at all like the Ontario AG’s report. But overall the IT systems are in pretty poor shape.
The Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia presented our report, The Status of Government’s General Computing Controls: 2014 to the Legislative Assembly today.
The Status of Government’s General Computing Controls: 2014
- A member found an article about a very interesting program in Colorado. Money and staff are being made available to gather information from people who believe that oil and gas emissions have caused them health problems and to study research. This issue is not that different from wireless and the health effects people suffer. Given the BC Liberals’ attitude that science doesn’t matter, and that of the provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall that his opinion is more important than science, this sort of thing will never happen under this government, but I wonder if the federal Liberals might consider it. After all, RF is a national issue.
*****************************
Press Release by Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
– December 15, 2015
CERTIFICATION BODY (UL) DECLARES SMART METERS TO BE FIRE HAZARDS.
Smart meters have failed, melted and caused fires in British Columbia. While BC Hydro continues to deny that these devices pose risk of fires, Underwriters Laboratory admits it in its introduction of a “voluntary” standard:
“… design flaws in smart meter units have been known to cause serious fire hazards and spotty performance. This has caused a lot of concern for utilities and manufacturers of smart meters.”
http://www.metlabs.com/blog/meters/new-ul-2735-electric-utility-meter-standard-ensures-safety-and-performance/
It is doubtful that the “voluntary” certification will address all of the fire-causing features of these devices which are mandated by the BC Liberals for every home and business. For example, legal testimony in Texas stated that the smart meters do not fit properly into the meter base, a base that was certified to hold an analog and nothing else. The smart meters’ blades leave a gap which causes arcing and fires.
“Childers explained that part of the problem was a loose connection between the meter and the meter base because the smart meters had thinner “blades” than the previous analog meters. (JD slip op. at 12, LL 36-38; Tr. 265, LL. 3-6). Childers told Reed that the loose connection caused heat, which, in turn, caused an electrical arc, which resulted in “two pallets of burned up meters” in CenterPoint’s meter shop. (Tr. 265, LL. 13-22).”
https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Reed_Answering_Brief-1.pdf pg. 8
The meters used by Houston’s CenterPoint Utility are the very same model, ITRON Openway, used by BC Hydro and FortisBC.
https://www.itron.com/na/newsAndEvents/Pages/CenterPoint-Energy-Completes-Itron-Smart-Meter-Roll-Out.aspx
Months ago BC Utilities Commission (BCUC), BC Hydro, Energy Minister Bill Bennett, and BC Hydro critic Adrian Dix were given this information and more, yet these fire hazards remain on our homes.
What more is needed to have these meters declared defective? Why are the BC Liberals, the BCUC, and the utility companies playing Russian roulette with our safety?
*****************************
Newsletter prepared by Sharon Noble
