Dear editor:
I suggest everyone start to learn more about B.C. Hydro’s Smart Meter program. Here are three of my concerns:
No. 1: We are about to have a device that monitors everything electrical in our homes. This new Smart Meter is capable of reporting everything electrical we use in our houses, what time of day we use this device, and how long we used it.
The Smart meter will know when we are not at home. It will know when we get up, when we go to work, when we cook dinner and when we go to bed. Time of day billing is coming to us very quickly.
There will be times specified for the normal rate and times specified for the more expensive rate.
In order to save money and keep the bill down we may find ourselves doing the laundry at 2 a.m. or cooking dinner at 10 p.m.
No. 2: The Smart Meter sends all this information via a radio link.
You and all your neighbour’s meters will be sending all this information to the big computer somewhere. This information is valuable to a lot of people. How secure are the computers and all of the Smart Meters?
No. 3: This smart meter is the same as a cell phone. It does not transmit all the time.
But when it does transmit, it sends very fast radio frequency (RF) pulses.
This wireless or radio transmitter is being forced in to your house.
The Liberal government has mandated you have no choice.
You cannot say No.
If anyone in your family is RF sensitive you have the option of turning off or reducing your wireless devices in your own home.
However, you can not stop this wireless Smart Meter from transmitting.
Newborns and pregnant women are the most at risk.
Where is your meter? Mine is within one-meter of two bedrooms. This is not a good selling point if I want to sell my house. I am going to lose money.
This program is going to cost the taxpayers of B.C. $1-billion.
Not one kilowatt of extra power is being generated from this huge expenditure.
According to BC Hydro the Smart Meter will inform them when we have a power outage and when the power is restored.
We will be spending one billion dollars to know when the power comes back on. Is it worth it?
Rick Kirkpatrick
Port Hardy, B.C.
