Dear Editor:

The B.C. Utility Commission (BCUC) and its mandate requires examination of FortisBC and its monopolistic situation serving our community by electricity.

The problem is that FortisBC is not listed on Toronto Stock Exchange and customers are unable to buy shares and the amount of profit this utility generates is not known.

In my opinion,  the BCUC should be able to request any information about this company.

I recall in the past that all requests by FortisBC to increase its kilowatt per hour rates to customers were approved without any public examination of FortisBC’s economy and profits.

Members of the public would also be interested in knowing provisions of FortisBC to use water for power when water belongs to all residents of British Columbia.

The mandate of the BCUC has not been fulfilled in my opinion.

FortisBC has applied in past years for permits to replace standard analog meters with “smart meters” at a cost of $48 million, which naturally FortisBC will recover from all customers because it isn’t a charity.

The BCUC ordered under its mandate last year numerous public meetings within the territory served, where numerous customers expressed total opposition for any changes in metering.

Local media informed residents about such meetings and it was clear there was strong public resentments of the project for many reasons, including potential medical, ecological, economic, privacy and customer service concerns.

Town of Oliver council issued a moratorium not allowing the replacement of the current analog meters.

Despite all of the concerns against smart meters, the BCUC, at the end of a very long process, did not follow public opinion and requests and approved the FortisBC application.

It is very important for the public to know about the new situation with smart metering installation in Saskatchewan as part of a similar project.

Numerous house fires have been caused by such “smart meters” in Saskatchewan and the provincial government in that province stepped in and ordered 115,000 smart meters to be replaced back to older analog meters.

Bill Boid, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Resources, informed all residents in Saskatchewan that the smart meters were being removed.

I believe the residents of Osoyoos should ask our town council to reopen this debate and to examine the situation in Saskatchewan and declare a moratorium against smart meters.

The moratorium should be held as part of the municipal election this coming November.

In this situation, I personally will not permit anyone hired from FortisBC to place a “smart meter” on my house and I do not wish for similar fire hazards to be allowed to be installed on neighbouring houses.

We should examine the situation in Saskatchewan and refuse probable increased fire insurance for our houses and fire hazards in our town.

We should call the right people in the B.C. government and insist they protect us or we should rally together to use legal means to stop this smart meter program.

The members of the BCUC should resign or be fired by the provincial government or charged for personal safety infringements.

Thank you.

Ivo Tyl

Osoyoos, B.C.