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Smart meters should be optional not mandatory

I have written to BC Hydro on several occasions and told them that my home is off limits to Smart Meters. I am concerned about potential health issues linked to the technology these meters utilize, the possibility for privacy invasion, and the irresponsibility our government is displaying in claiming these meters are safe and will save money when, in fact, neither is true.

I have written to BC Hydro on several occasions and told them that my home is off limits to Smart Meters. I am concerned about potential health issues linked to the technology these meters utilize, the possibility for privacy invasion, and the irresponsibility our government is displaying in claiming these meters are safe and will save money when, in fact, neither is true.

While I understand the doubts some people have in regard to wireless technologies being potentially harmful, the World Health Organization has recognized them as being so and, whether our government is on board or not, we must not be the last to protect ourselves from the danger. To call these meters 'green' is an affront to every environmentally conscious person out there.

There are other issues attached to Smart Meters, not the least of which is that they are not going to be cost-effective. In fact, the pilot project for Smart Meters was discontinued in thirty-eight counties in California alone, because it was found that they would be more expensive than initially projected. The maintenance and upgrading costs are supposed to be quite high - a cost that will be passed on to the consumer.

Additionally, BC Hydro has admitted that this specific technology makes it possible for the individual's movements to be monitored. Your most intimate personal life is under scrutiny when these little boxes are affixed to your homes. The fact that they constantly pulse radiation that can hurt your family's health is just a sidebar.

When I voiced these concerns to BC Hydro I received a series of condescending letters suggesting I don't 'understand' the situation.

I have educated myself about this kind of technology, and I don't want it attached to my house. That is my fundamental right as a Canadian. I worked hard to get my home, and continue to do so to maintain it, and I should not be forced to allow a government agency to do whatever it wishes to it. None of us should.

Mrs. Catherine Schreiber

Maple Ridge, B.C