The lawyer received word that tomorrow, July 12, Judge Adair would announce her decision to certify the Class Action or not. I am sure the media will cover the announcement immediately if the judge decides not to reject our class action. I will have it in tomorrow’s update.
1) A petition is being circulated regarding the censorship of “Wi-Fried”, and the firing of the journalist Dr. Maryanne Demasi, and the misrepresentation of the facts by the wireless industry. We cannot allow this type of action to be condoned. Please consider signing.
From change.org:
Stop Media Censorship by ABC – Unfair Attack on Catalyst and Producer Dr. Maryanne Demasi
We, Australian citizens are appalled by the action taken by the ABC to retract the Catalyst episode that investigated potential health risks of wireless devices, titled “Wi-Fired?” and suspend the talented science journalist Dr. Maryanne Demasi.
ABC’s Audience & Consumer Affairs report is bogus. It has distorted facts to unfairly condemn the Catalyst program. The report clearly reveals that it was the mobile and wireless industry that has put pressure on the ABC (Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, AMTA). Heavily industry-funded researcher University of Wollongong psychologist Prof. Rodney Croft and sociologist Prof. Simon Chapman also led a media campaign to unfairly discredit Dr. Demasi and this episode of Catalyst.
SNIP
Read the post here.
[for Everyone] change.org Petition – Stop abc bias: Reinstate Catalyst Reporter and Programs Wi-Fried and Heart of the Matter. by Nadia Marmach:
– https://www.change.org/p/abc-catalyst-stop-abc-bias-reinstate-catalyst-reporter-and-programs-wi-fried-and-heart-of-the-matter
2) In the USA, the Federal Communications Commission is promoting the expansion of the spectrum which would allow 5G wireless devices to be put on poles outside homes, schools and hospitals. This will involve new technology that has not been tested – while we are still struggling and suffering from the older technology that has never been tested and has been found to be dangerous. Here is a powerful letter explaining why this should not be allowed.
3) A new, efficient solar power producer which, unfortunately, doesn’t appear to be available in Canada yet. Europe always seems to get this sort of thing first.
Portable smartflower POP solar system produces 40% more energy
Combining smart technology and clean energy generators is easily the next biggest trend in the renewable energy industry, and the developers of smartflower POP are ahead of the curve. Since its emergence in 2010, the clever solar power system has honed in on what private homeowners want from a sustainable energy source, and the latest version now promises 40 percent more energy output thanks to its ability to track the sun as well as clean and cool itself. Its creators hail it as the “world’s first all-in-one” solar power system, and they think it could take the industry by storm.
The system consists of petal-shaped solar panels which automatically fan out each morning to create a flower-like array. To ensure efficiency, smartflower POP cleans its 18 square meters of solar cells each day at sunrise and then positions itself to face the sun so it can immediately begin generating energy. Throughout the day, the smart solar power system tracks the sun’s position on a dual axis so that the solar panels are always at an optimum angle for capturing solar energy.
Related: Is this the world’s most efficient solar system?
4) Can dirty electricity created by $$meters cause increase in Type 3 Diabetes?
“In 2008, Dr Havas published the paper “Dirty electricity elevates blood sugar among electrically sensitive diabetics and may explain brittle diabetes” (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18568931)
5) Non smeter but a great example of how corporations are misusing and abusing people and the environment. A member asked that I share this and encourage people to attend to see this film and to meet the film-maker. A free evening.
The Okanagan College Human Rights and International Solidarity Committee sponsored screenings in the BC Interior of an important new documentary film called Flin Flon Flim Flam , followed by a discussion with the award winning journalist and independent filmmaker John Dougherty.:
One might see the similarities in the way this corporation treats those in its path, including the environment as we see with corporate BCHydro.
The tour continues in July with screenings
Tuesday, July 12 – Cinematheque in Vancouver; 7 p.m.,1131 Howe St #200, Vancouver.
Thursday, July 14 – Vancouver Island University, 7 p.m., Building 200, Theatre Room 203, Nanaimo.
Friday, July 15 – The Vic in Victoria, 7 p.m 808 Douglas St.
This event is free for everyone, and posters for each screening are attached.
Please share widely.
Film Synopsis:
Award-winning journalist John Dougherty’s latest documentary “Flin Flon Flim Flam”, reports on Toronto-based mining company, Hudbay Minerals‘ worldwide operations and its human rights and environmental abuses. The exposé reveals how Hudbay contaminated its home community in Flin Flon, Manitoba with high levels of heavy metals from a smelter the company operated for more than 80 years. The company is proposing an open-pit copper mine on the mountain areas of the beautiful Coronado National Forest just outside Tuscon, Arizona.The documentary also reports on the impact to residents of Hudbay’s former mine in El Estor, Guatemala where the company’s security guards allegedly clashed with residents over land claims. A Mayan community leader was shot to death and another man left paralyzed in the September 2009 violence.
Letters:
The BCUC draft response to my evidence that BC Hydro’s smart meters have caused, and will continue to cause, fires and BCUC has the responsibility to protect us. Segment #2.
= = =
British Columbia Utilities Commission
Sixth Floor, 900 Howe Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6Z 2N3
TEL: (604) 660-4700
BC Toll Free: 1-800-663-1385 FAX: (604) 660-1102
Website: www.bcuc.com
Patrick Wruck
Customer Relations Analyst
complaints@bcuc.com
Log No. 51374
VIA EMAIL
February 12, 2016
Ms. Diane Roy
Director, Regulatory Affairs FortisBC Inc.
16705 Fraser Highway Surrey, BC V4N OE8
Mr. Tom Loski
Chief Regulatory Officer Regulatory & Rates Group
British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
16th Floor – 333 Dunsmuir StreetVancouver, BC V6B SR3
Ms. Sharon Noble
(address), Victoria, BC
Dear Ms. Roy, Mr. Loski and Ms. Noble:
Re: Smart Meter Safety Staff Report
The BC Utilities Commission received a complaint regarding the safety of the recent smart meter /advanced meter infrastructure programs within British Columbia. As a result of the complaint, Commission staff requested information from FortisBC and BC Hydro and reviewed and investigated the available evidence. We have now concluded that review and have compiled the evidence and conducted preliminary analysis in a draft staff report. Commission staff request that you provide any comments you may have on this draft staff report to ensure that relevant information is not missing and that the factual information presented in the draft report is accurate.
Please provide your submissions on or before Friday, March 4, 2016.
Once submissions are received, staff will review the comments and decide whether further process is required.
Patrick Wruck
= = =
RESPONSE TO “BCUC’s Staff Report on Smart Meter Fire Safety Concerns” Segment #2.
KEY: Highlighted text is from Sharon Noble Non-highlighted text is the draft report as written by BCUC staff.
Introduction
On July 13, 2015, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) received a complaint from a concerned citizen with regards to safety concerns with smart meters supplemented by evidence of fires and thermal incidents originating in the vicinity of recently installed smart meters. A staff investigation into the complaint was initiated as the BCUC is mandated to provide general supervision of provincial public utilities including the oversight of equipment and public safety1 pursuant to the Utilities Commission Act. The smart meter safety concerns addressed in the investigation are summarized in three categories; the potential fire hazard of smart meters, the adequacy of investigation and tracking of smart meter related incidents and the certification of smart meters in British Columbia (BC)
(please provide a list of the qualifications and experience levels of the BCUC staff, and if B.C. Professional Engineers were part of the investigation, since the topics and the investigation would fall within the definition of Engineering.)
Note that this BCUC investigation appears to be the FIRST review of smart meter system safety. A preamble paragraph is required: “The original mandate to the BCUC from the Utilities Commission Act was responsibility for the safety oversight of the Utilities. When the CEA was passed and the Orders-in-Council issued, the BCUC stepped back from its monitoring task of the Utilities. The Smart Meter implementation program therefore lacked an active oversight by the BCUC throughout its schedule, from planning through installation and operation. The minimal role was demonstrated by BCUC responses to complaints as being a semi-passive role which appeared to take BC Hydro data at face value. This role did not include the verification by the BCUC of the veracity of data supplied by the Utilities, since there does not appear to be a mechanism, nor the skills, and this resulted in an acceptance of that data from the Utilities at face value. This is an important issue, since the public perception is that the BCUC is “monitoring” the Utilities at a detailed level.
Is the BCUC not in a Conflict of Interest when it examines possible failings in the process for which is has responsibility?
This Review needs to be conducted by an independent organization.
BCUC staff conducted the investigation based on the information provided by the complainant and sought further information from BC Hydro, FortisBC, the BC Safety Authority, the Office of the Fire Commissioner and other sources including the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and publicly available literature and reports. Staff also reviewed the statutory framework governing the entities involved with the installation, incident investigation and safety oversight of smart meters. This draft report constitutes the preliminary findings of BCUC staff.
Electrical engineers and experts in fire forensics need to be involved.
BCUC staff will seek comments from the parties involved in this investigation to ensure that relevant information is not missing and that the information presented in this report is accurate.
Comment: Emails and telephone calls have been exchanged with the CSA in Ontario from December 2013 onwards regarding the meter base, and the disconnect switch. Note that the BCUC “…sought further information from….the CSA.” Did the CSA share any of previous concerns with the BCUC?
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
