Dear Editor:
Benjamin Alldritt's Jan. 15 column, Meter Opposition is Not So Smart, tried to dismiss public concerns about smart meters as "asking the wrong questions."
But by taking Hydro at its word on the rationale for smart meters, Alldritt just asked more wrong questions and repeated more wrong answers.
For one, Alldritt cites BC Hydro's claim that they currently have no way to predict how much power needs to be transmitted into which areas. The thing is BC Hydro already has a load forecasting department to do just that, and they do it pretty effectively.
This department - unlike a meter - is able to include economic forecasts and to explore the load forecast's impacts on system and resource requirements. In other words, not something we needed to spend $1 billion extra dollars to duplicate.
Alldritt is at least right to be skeptical of the cost of the program.
Another question we need to ask is why BC Hydro's guesstimate on the electricity cost-savings keeps going up at the same time as opposition to the program increases. Last year they said it was $30 million and now they're throwing out numbers from $100 million to $154 million.
The bottom line is this: Smart meters are costing this province one billion dollars and will eliminate 400 family and community-supporting jobs. Hydro says they're doing this to save you money, but it would take more than five decades to save in meter reader salaries what we're being forced to pay on the smart meter initiative.
British Columbians never got the full and impartial examination they were entitled to when the program was launched.
The right question to ask BC Hydro is: If they can really justify laying off 400 people, and if this whole thing was going to pay for itself, why did the government refuse to submit the initiative for oversight by the B.C. Utilities Commission?
Gwenne Farrell, vice-president (utilities), Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 378
