by Norm Hutton Every so often we receive good news. The people of Saskatchewan have received very good news in that their energy minister Bill Boyd has decided to call the smart meter program to a halt.
This follows the bad news of eight smart meter failures resulting in explosions and fires. The good news of course is that Boyd has stated the concerns about safety are paramount, and they are significant enough to put families at risk. More good news is that over 100,000 smart meters recently installed will be removed and will be replaced with analog meters.
The bad news is that our energy minister Bill Bennett is sorry that Saskatchewan is taking this action. Why? Shouldn’t the safety of people and property take first place?
More bad news that in BC Bennett and BC Hydro have put the blame on homeowners’ meter bases and wiring. It does not matter that perhaps the inexperienced installer damaged the base during installation or the meter itself failed due to a design flaw.
Good news (too late of course) is that Bennett is admitting there have been fires due to smart meters in BC. The bad news is that he is asking BC Hydro for a count. Smart meter fires in BC have been occurring in our province for over three years. More bad news is there does not seem to be any records of these events kept by Bennett. We the public also do not know how many smart meter-related fires have occurred and have not been reported to the media.
More bad news is that people have unknowingly been living with a fire hazard on the walls of their homes. The reality is that in the inner workings of the smart meter is a lithium battery which might well overheat due to an electrical power surge or from the heat of the sun and explode.
The good news is we deserve the same consideration as those fine people in Saskatchewan. However, the bad news is, how do we convince our energy minister to give us the same consideration as the people in Saskatchewan?
While we wait for some good news, please keep a fire extinguisher handy by the smart meter that can be used safely on electrical fires with a voltage up to 220.
Norm Hutton is a retired journeyman electrician and opposes “smart meters” due to fires, health, safety, privacy and cost concerns.
