LETTER: Residents write to Fortis protesting smart meters
By Cindy McCallum Miller
Re: Meter replacement West Kootenays
To whom it may concern:
We were contacted this week by one of your operatives to discuss your intention to access our property to remove the current analogue meter and impose your new “smart” meter on our household. We understand that in this corporate society, the rights of citizens are secondary to the rights of businesses and that you may freely bully homeowners into accepting your technology despite the growing body of opinion and research that disputes your claims that it is safe.
Therefore, without prejudice, under complete duress and against our will, we will not physically impede your agents when they violate our property and impose your meter. We are opting for Radio Off mode to try and minimize the health risk to ourselves and we understand that this means you will gouge us for additional bimonthly charges amounting to $9.00 per month until such time as we can gain legislative support to end this punitive action on your part. We also understand that this acquiescence to your demands will cost us an additional $60.00 although you have never had to justify this additional charge. I guess that is one of your power perks.
As you might have guessed from the sarcastic tone of this letter, we are more than angered and frustrated with having unsafe meters foisted on an unwilling household. We object to being a guinea pig in the experiment of “smart” technology and hold you ultimately responsible for any health conditions that we experience or any problems that your technology creates for our home. Considering that you currently take no responsibility for the impact of power surges that flow through your lines into our homes and destroy our appliances, I have no confidence that you will voluntarily take any responsibility for the negative impact your unwanted technology has on our health or well being. A Parliamentary report was recently issued and it has a number of recommendations that should be implemented before any company can utilize this type of technology but you forge ahead without concern for any possible negative impact on our bodies or our homes.
There are many of us who intend to pursue this matter. Just as the tobacco industry and other cancer causing businesses have had to adjust their practices based on litigation and public outcry – we look forward to the day when you will be held to account. I hope your technology does not kill us before that day.
In a fair world and a real democracy, citizens would have reasonable options. Unfortunately we are not living in such a society and have limited choices. In this case we have none.
Cindy and Joanne Miller
Thrums BC
