Dear Editor:
Just recently, we received a “final notice” from FortisBC to have our locked analog meter replaced with a “smart meter” with either the radio signal on or off.
It was made clear that if we refused, they would disconnect our power immediately.
We wanted to keep our analog meter because of all the negative effects of the smart meters.
Smart meters are known to cause fires, give far too many inaccurate readings, they have a shorter service life than analog meters, are vulnerable to hackers and have been associated with negative health effects, including cancer.
By the way, we always paid our bills on time. The price charged to our account by FortisBC has also increased from an average of .0803 cents/kwh in 2008 to .1314 cents until Sept. 2015, an increase of 64 per cent or more than eight per cent per year.
Who gets a wage raise like that every year?
We immigrated from Germany 22 years ago thinking we would enjoy the move from one democratic country to another one.
In Germany, customers have a choice between different power suppliers and the electricity meter is read once a year by the owner of the residence.
Canada has changed to become a dictatorship of the corporations.
The B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) is supposed to independently control/regulate the activities of FortisBC, BC Hydro and ICBC.
How can they allow price increases like that? They are rather a puppet than a control organization of our elected politicians and the corporations.
Utility services must be put under community control.
A locally controlled energy system would be concerned with public interest, not profits, and money earned in the sale of energy should be returned to the communities rather than lost to shareholders.
Fortis is using its monopoly to force us to accept everything as they please and our politicians do nothing about it.
On Oct. 19, we have a federal election across Canada and we urge every voter to ask their candidate whether he/she supports big business (oligarchy) or whether he or she will bring back the power to us the citizens (democracy).
Our troops don’t need to fight terrorists abroad. They are right here in Canada and wear white collars and ties.
Another seminar was presented by Dr. Malcolm Paterson, a renowned oncologist, in the Summerland IOOF Hall, on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.
Paterson was scheduled to again present many scientific facts the general public is not going to be informed about either by utilities or regulative authorities.
Thank you for allowing us the space.
Hansjoerg and Erika Hoeger
Penticton, B.C.
