An ongoing battle against the installation of B.C. Hydro smart meters is about to be taken to the next level.
A group of concerned citizens announced Thursday that they plan to mount an initiative campaign – similar to the recent HST recall – which they hope will force the provincial government to remove the meters from B.C. homes.
“We haven’t been given a chance to have a say in a fair and orderly manner,” said Walt McGinnis, spokesperson for StopSmartMeters.ca.
“If the government has decided to charge ahead and plug (the smart meters) in, then that’s a problem they’ll have to deal with (if a recall is successful).”
McGinnis said they’re not ready to start collecting signatures yet, but that they want the government to be aware that although B.C. Hydro has already begun smart meter installations, the fight is far from over.
“This has always been an issue of democracy. No matter what other concerns there are (about smart meters), the big issue is the lack of fair process,” he said. “We’re giving the citizens of B.C. a chance to vote, and that’s ultimately the important thing.”
McGinnis added that the stopsmartmeters.ca website is currently taking a poll and gauging support for the initiative. If and when the group does gain approval for its petition, it will have 90 days to collect signatures from at least 10 per cent of the registered voters in each of the province’s electoral districts.
