Dear Editor
I would like to tell you about our experience with wireless meters.
Prior to the wireless meter being installed at our house in Cache Creek, we had sent registered letters to BC Hydro-David Cobb, Office of Info & Privacy-Elizabeth Denham and BC Hydro, Smart Meter Specialist Department, telling them we did not want “smart” meters on our houses in Cache Creek or at the Chasm. We were aware there was a potential for a health hazard as well as other problems associated with “smart” meters.
We came home from going to the doctor in Kamloops one day, our power had been off for about a minute and we found out a “smart” meter had been installed. This was a few weeks ago. I was sick to my stomach, vomiting and dry heaving for approximately one and a half weeks. I had been sick before because of medication I take but never for this long except during the first eight treatments of chemo. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2010. I didn’t think that maybe it was because of the meter until my mouth started hurting and I started to get sores in my mouth and on my lips and could hardly eat. The only time that had ever happened to me is when I had the first part of chemo over a year ago. My last chemo was Sept, 15.
As the November long weekend progressed my mouth got worse.
We went down to the BC Hydro office here in Cache Creek on Nov. 14. This office is not normally open to the public, but they opened the door and we talked to Peter Smith who said he was the head of the Hydro here. We told him we wanted our meter changed from wireless to an analogue because of health and security reasons. He said we would all have to have wireless eventually, that the whole world is going wireless, but that he would send someone out right away.
We said we didn’t even get notice that they were changing our meter to a wireless. Peter said through the years they change meters out to check them to make sure there is nothing wrong with them. This time when they took them out to test them, they put in the wireless.
We had not reported any problem. As far as we were concerned, there was no problem and we have always paid our electric bill. It is bull about problem meters. They had replaced the meter on ours and both of the houses of somebody on the street over. No one else that we could see in our neighborhood had a wireless meter. We figure they changed ours because we use a lot of electricity.
Tom and Brody from BC Hydro came out before noon and changed our meter back to analogue for which we thanked them very much, as they are citizens here like we are and just following their employers’ orders. We have since secured our meter so as to make it harder to change out, as I do not want to get sick like that again.
Since the meter has been gone my mouth has been improving and the sores are almost gone. I am just one of the people who has electrohypersensitivity originally known as microwave sickness.
The Clean energy Act of May 2010 mandates that BC Hydro replace every meter with a “smart” meter by 2012. There was no normal process for public input. The Act strips the BC Utilities Commission of the power to review the project. Our government mandated this. Our government can repeal it.
If it does not get stopped there are going to be a lot of us who are sick and or dying from electrohypersensitivity. It is thought that 50 per cent is a conservative prediction. Not only can they make you sick but with one of these meters you can be put under surveillance - an invasion of privacy, and everywhere they have been installed people ended up paying more.
If you would like to sign an online petition to stop these wireless meters, please go to www.citizensforsafetechnology.org Even if you don’t want to sign the petition please look at that web site as well as www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca and www.emrabc.ca
We have given some of the “citizens for safe technology” info to candidates Lisa Dafoe, Herb Hofer and most recently Jim Lambert.
We also went to the last council meeting on Nov. 14. Les got up, handed the same info packet we have given Lisa, Herb and Jim (from “citizens for safe technology” web site and also Space Weather http://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/sftheory/spaceweather.htm) and reminded the council of when the diseased with Avian flu chickens were being shipped to our garbage dump in 2004 and stopped because they were viewed as a potential health hazard. Les thanked them for protecting us at that time from a potential health hazard and asked them to protect us once again for what is now viewed as a potential health hazard from the digital wireless “smart” meters, with a vote on a moratorium to stop the installation of these “smart”meters. Mayor Ranta indicated that they would have to bring that up at the next council meeting.
If you have received a notification letter telling you they are coming to change your meter, there is a propaganda sheet that has been sent out with it called “Straight Facts about BC Hydro’s Smart Metering Program.” The pamplet on the first side says Fact 3 “”Smart” meters will help to quickly and safely locate unexplained electricity usage.” Meaning if you start to use more power because you have taken up a hobby like arc welding, installed a sauna or want to be a mad scientist and put a Tesla Coil in your basement, you could possibly have them along with the police and a search warrant wanting to find out your extra power usage. Why should they have any right to question a person’s power usage as long as they are paying their bill and not illegally diverting power?
Remember if you want to keep your analogue meter put something around it and lock it so they can’t switch it.
Debi & Les Alexander
Cache Creek