[Analog Meter Seals – Andrew Weaver & Pam Prewett, BC Green Party – Aurora Generator Test – BC Hydro Bullying Contractors – Brain Tumors – BCUC – Cancer – Cell Phones – Christy Clark – Class Action Lawsuit – Dirty Electricity – Doctor – DTE – EHC-RF – Electric Tariff – EMFs – Hacking a Smart TV – Health – Itron – Jana Kalina – Journal of the Neurological Sciences – Lorne Trottier – Magda Havas – Marg Friesen – NCIS – NTP National Toxicology Program – Privacy Opt Out – Rose Stanton, Ombudsperson Investigation – SGCC Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative Benefits Communications Toolkit – Smart Meter Program – Tracking Scientific Articles and Studies – WHO – William S. Bathgate – Wireless Devices | BC – Manitoba – Michigan, USA] & (videos)
1) In mainstream media, news about studies showing harm from cell phones. And they even challenge an industry statement that says there is no evidence of harm.
“Researchers: Long-term cell phone use may increase your risk for a brain tumor
13 Investigates recently reported on a massive government-funded study conducted in Chicago. Preliminary results of that study show rats exposed to cell phone radiation for two years had an increased incidence of cancerous brain tumors. Final results of the study will be published later this year.
CTIA, a trade group that lobbies for the cell phone industry, told WTHR “Numerous international and U.S. organizations, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, and American Cancer Society, have determined that the already existing body of peer-reviewed and published studies shows that there are no established health effects from radio frequency signals used in cellphones.”
The most current review published in Neurological Sciences offers new evidence contrary to that position, and some health organizations are openly challenging the cell phone industry’s position.”
2) The Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) has a new PR program designed to sell the idea that smeters are good. Obviously, the concerns raised by millions are having an effect.
“SGCC has released its communications toolkit, “Effective Communication with Consumers on the Smart Grid Value Proposition”, a research-based, industry-wide resource for stakeholders to use when conveying smart grid benefits to consumers.…
According to the survey analysis, the most effective way to communicate the consumer value proposition is to use specific, positive words and phrases that are familiar and appealing to consumers in relatively brief statements. Messages should be short, specific and positive.…
References to “increasing” benefits rather than “reducing” harmful elements are better received by consumers. When communicating concepts, stakeholders should use short, direct statements composed of plain, familiar language. The survey’s findings show that consumers want dependable service, quick power restoration after an outage and to save money. They favor energy efficiency and electricity pricing options.
Finally, in pitches touting the benefits of smart grid, longer statements are less appealing, particularly those that digress to include historical background on the grid or offer analogies with other technologies.…
The toolkit also provides a “Reasons to Love a Smarter Grid” infographic and several banner ads that, like the messaging house, Elevator Pitch and Stump Speech, are free to use for both SGCC members and the energy industry at large.
http://smartgridcc.org/resource-release-smart-grid-cvp-communications-toolkit/
An example of the positive ads:
3) In Michigan, where the utility wants to install ITRON smeters on every home, people are concerned about risks to health and privacy. Meanwhile, the industry tells the same false information that we’ve been given.
“Michigan ‘smart meter’ hearing elicits health fears.
Many residents who testified in the nearly filled committee room said they worry that the new utility meters hurt their health and invade their privacy because they have no say in whether the company can install the particular kind of meter at their home unless they pay extra fees. Utility representatives countered that studies have shown their concerns are unfounded.”
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/02/21/smart-meter-trial/98202698/
I testified at this hearing and informed the Energy Committee with regards that both the Regular and the Opt Out AMI style meters had the effects of Dirty Electricity and that it was on everyone of their homes now thanks to the poor design of the SMPS boards. I also informed the Energy Committee that the two radios are never turned off with their Opt Out meter, they were always listening snf can be activated to transmit at any time with notice to the customer.
The testimony from the DTE representative was full of lies, and that is why there was widespread expressions of disgust verbalized. The one that really took the cake was his statement that these are all installed in Canada and there were no complaints, that resulted in outright laughter.
Sincerely,
William S. Bathgate
4) Christy Clark’s hypocrisy needs to be addressed. This from a member:
“With Christy all over the news yesterday smiling her face off at “Anti—Bullying Rallies”, I thought it might be appropriate for you [and the rest of us?] to contact the various news media to point out how hypocritical it is of Christy to be advocating against bullying when her own Government has been aiding, and encouraging/assisting in the bullying of B.C. Hydro customers by coercing/forcing, and otherwise threatening, and harassing us to accept “Smeters” for all of these years.”
Email addresses for media contacts are on our website www.stopsmartmetersbc.com under “CONTACT”[https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/contact/]
5) Marg Friesen in Manitoba has taken on the huge responsibility of tracking studies and, in a report, she identifies the shortcomings of WHO’s review of scientific articles and studies, and their inadequate explanations re. the selection process. Also, she identifies clear biases, e.g. allowing a known industry supporter, Lorne Trottier (he has made his millions in the telecom industry), to force a study by Dr. Havas to be excluded from consideration. This is an excellent resource for everyone.
6) Many people will pay attention and believe things they see on TV long before anything they have to read. A member sent this in re. a program shown on Feb. 21. Maybe people will become concerned.
Last night‘s (Tuesday’s) NCIS episode was about hacking a Smart TV and attacking the US electrical grid. This was also mentioned as the way to wreck the grid
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_Generator_Test
&
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTkXgqK1l9A
NCIS: A Many Splendored Thing – Season 14, Episode 16 – February 21, 2017:
– http://www.globaltv.com/ncis/video/episode/a-many-splendored-thing/video.html?v=882081347962
Letters:
The writer plans on responding in the same manner to each and every request for support of any kind from any politician. If enough of us do the same thing, perhaps one of these days they will get the message.
= = =
From: X
Sent: February 22, 2017 4:43 PM
To: Pam Prewett <pam.prewett@greenparty.bc.ca>
Subject: Re: BC Green Party – Lapsed Membership
Dear Pam,
I do not wish to renew my membership in the BC Green Party. I will only support politicians who have knowledge of the damaging effects to health being caused by the increasing proliferation of wireless devices and the pulsed microwave radiation created by such devices, and who actively take action to prevent such invisible electrosmog and educate the public as to the real dangers such radiation is causing. So far, your leader Dr. Andrew Weaver has totally ignored this issue.
Sincerely,
X
= = =
On 2017-02-22 01:21 PM, Pam Prewett wrote:
Hi X
Our records indicate that your membership with the BC Greens has now lapsed. Please let me know if you would like to renew your membership and we can make arrangements to do that, otherwise our automatic email system will email you again and I would rather avoid that happening. If you would not like to renew your membership that’s no problem at all, in that case just kindly respond to this email.
Many thanks for your past support of the BC Greens!
Sincerely,
Pam
—
Pam Prewett CFRE
Development Officer
___________________________________________________________________________
From: Jana Kalina (name given with permission)
Sent: February 17, 2017
To: Sharon Noble
Subject: nowhere to turn
Hello Sharon,
Thought you might be interested to know that my complaint with the BC Ombudsperson proved to be another exercise in futility. Nevertheless, it did not deter me from producing a response to her decision to close my file, if she didn’t hear from me before February 25. So, on Monday I will deliver my response in person because I don’t fancy paying the postage fee that would be required for the hefty package. Below is a copy of the opening letter. I think I have all my ‘facts’ straight. Re-reading one year’s worth of correspondence between BC Hydro and us, is an eye opener as to the whole mess. Jana
= = =
The letter from the Ombudsperson to which Jana is responding can be found at: https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Ombudsperson-Reply-re-BC-Hydro-Complaint-by-Kalina-Duberry-Jan.25-2017.pdf
= = =
Rose Stanton, Manager of Investigations
The Office of the Ombudsperson
947 Fort Street
Victoria, BC V8W 9A5
Dear Ms. Stanton,
in response to your ‘preliminary-decision-not-to-proceed-with-an-investigation’ letter, dated January 25, 2017, regarding the above file number, I am enclosing photocopies of e-mail correspondence that occurred between myself and various BC Hydro employees starting March 3, 2016 through to my last e-mail dated January 20, 2017.
The first e-mail, March 3, was in response to an actual letter sent from BC Hydro informing us of a second meter exchange: our house’s original 45 year-old analog — in perfect working condition according to the installer — was replaced with a refurbished analog only one-and-one-half years prior to this notice for a second exchange. Despite the installer’s assurances that “this refurbished meter is good for at least another 15 – 20 years,” BC Hydro’s e-mails state the seal is due to ‘expire’ December 2016. However, the seal is not the meter. Thus BC Hydro falsely created a ‘need’ to install a new Smart Meter on our house — and where is that in the “Terms and Conditions” for service?
The second significant e-mail, among the many, I would like to draw your attention to is dated January 20, 2017. It is addressed to a Ms. Hayles in Customer Relations and proves definitively that any correspondence with BC Hydro is an exercise in complete and utter futility. Ms. Hayles, like others before her, simply forwards e-mails to underlings who produce the standard BC Hydro responses, but this time, somewhere in the chain of command, someone got it wrong. The next morning, a message was left on our answering machine by an obviously distraught and desperate employee apologizing profusely and apparently “taking full responsibility for the mistake.” I recorded the message should anyone doubt the absurdity.
If, Ms. Stanton, the role of the Ombudsperson “is to investigate complaints about unfair administration,” then you will find that BC Hydro’s administration of the Smart Meter Program has been anything but fair [read: honest] given that the “process followed and information presented” was neither entirely “consistent” from one e-mail to the next, nor was it entirely consistent “with the legislation, policies and procedures” that preceded the Smart Meter Program. New legislation (policies and procedures) was implemented only in response to vociferous resistance to the program and it is my assertion that these e-mails prove BC Hydro willfully deceived customers in order to force Smart Meters on them.
While you cite the Electric Tariff in BC which, “sets out the terms and conditions for BC Hydro service” and which, “was approved by the BC Utilities Commission … and … the Lieutenant Governor,” changes to the Tariff were forced by BC Hydro itself and therefore in citing it, your letter reads much like the ‘on message’ correspondence provided by BC Hydro’s very much ‘on message’ minions; it does not read like the kind of letter one would expect from The Office of the Ombudsperson.
As you read these enclosed e-mails, please keep in mind that they are but a tiny, insignificant sample of the vast amount of letters people against Smart Meters have been sending to all levels of government, to all levels of BC Hydro itself and to the different media groups all over the province and country. It is a mass effort at informing the powers that be, that their conduct is not endearing to anyone with even the slightest, rudimentary knowledge of the harmful effects of electromagnetic frequencies and non-ionizing microwave radiation.
In addition to said efforts, no doubt you are aware of the class action lawsuit filed by the Coalition Against Smart Meters and Citizens for Safe Technology in another huge, but failed, effort to stop BC Hydro’s Smart Meter Program. Therefore, your decision not to investigate is another indication that there is nowhere to turn in protest, or for protection, against the rapid proliferation of so-called smart technology.
The radiation produced by wireless technology is harmful not only to humans but also to all forms of animal and plant life, and yet here we have several departments of both the provincial and federal governments ignoring scientific research done worldwide into the effects of electromagnetic frequencies and non-ionizing microwave radiation. It seems that those in power are the least motivated in educating themselves about the issue. Could there be other motives for ignoring the accumulating literature and worldwide scientific conferences?
Our household is fully wired, including the laptop I am currently using. We do not own any wireless, handheld devices such as phones, or tablets, or e-readers, and we do not own any smart appliances. Therefore, we do not appreciate the Smart Meter on our house. We have the right not to have this technology forced upon us considering that Smart Meters have nothing to do with ‘the grid,’ the functioning of the grid, or any improvements to the grid.
In conclusion, BC Hydro has lied to its customers from the beginning and continued in these lies until it could no longer do so: First, while the seals on analogs may expire (only to ensure that meters are checked periodically), the actual analog meters DO NOT EXPIRE, barring any malfunctions. Second, according to Hydro, “Hydro’s stock … consisted of both analog and digital meters … to ensure as many customers as possible could be provided with a replacement legacy meter.” Sounds promising, except, another e-mail states that, “There are no plans to re-certify or purchase old meters because we always said we wouldn’t go back.” So, BC Hydro destroyed inventory to prevent customers from demanding and receiving refurbished analogs. Third, they prevent us from buying our own new analogs. Fourth, they claimed they would make appointments with us, but a contractor showed up in our absence. Fifth, the contractor risked damaging the base, one assumes knowing full well that analog bases are not compatible with Smart Meters. Likewise, he risked a power surge to the house and potentially damaging our appliances during the live exchange. By these actions, BC Hydro has put our property at continued risk for fire. Claiming that Smart Meters do not cause fires, when in fact they do, is no assurance whatsoever; they also cause explosions which the utility companies also deny.
While we were fortunate in that we were spared the worst of what BC Hydro was throwing at other customers, the most unfortunate ones had power lines cut by Hydro’s brutish contractors — not the promised installers who are supposedly “fully qualified, carry photo ID and follow required safety protocol.” Sending thuggish contractors is anything but fair administration; to the contrary, such actions are blatant “contraventions of the standards of procedural fairness.”
In closing, Ms. Stanton, I hope that upon reading the correspondence I have forwarded, you will concede that your “preliminary decision” was exactly that — preliminary and hasty. Perhaps you will decide that further investigation is warranted into the conduct of BC Hydro toward those citizens who let it be known that they did not want Smart Meters on their homes.
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
Word of mouth is our best weapon — So shoot your mouth off!