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Resident 'disgusted' at local politicians' disregard for Smart Meter concerns

A Sorrento resident vents at the CSRD board and Salmon Arm council for not addressing his Smart Meter concerns.
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A BC Hydro Smart Meter display on hand for a presentation at the SILGA convention in Revelstoke last week.

Editor,

On April 19, as part of Citizen's for Safe Technology, I attended the monthly meeting of the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District board of directors in order to observe the BC Hydro presentation on Smart Meters.

Several days before the meeting, all directors were given five specific questions to be expressed the BC Hydro delegates after their presentation.

These are the five concerns:

In their pamphlet, BC Hydro claims that, "after research and testing, BC Hydro has selected technology that exceeds the most rigourous safety standards in the world."

1. What research did BC Hydro perform to make sure that the Smart Meters are safe to the public? Cite the findings and research involved. Were the routers, which are part of the hardware, included in these tests?

2. How will BC Hydro protect their customers with EMF hypersensitivies from electro-magnetic waves entering their residences?

3. How will BC Hydro deal with customers who face sudden unusually high consumption readings?

4. How can BC Hydro claim that rates will be kept low, when rates went up 7 per cent on April 1, 2012 with more increases on the horizon?

5. How will BC Hydro protect their installations to unwanted hacking?

All 11 CSRD directors did not address questions 1, 2 and 4 while questions 3 and 5 received only a vague reply.

Just as at a recent Salmon Arm city council meeting, the public was denied the ability to ask questions to BC Hydro representatives.

I am utterly disgusted and disappointed by the blatant disregard demonstrated by our elected representatives towards their constituents' concerns.

Werner Hupfauer,

Sorrento