B.C. Hydro taken to court over smart meters

nestor e. arellano

11 years ago

A British Columbia-based yoga instructor has filed a class action suit against B.C. Hydro claiming that the utility had installed a smart meter on her property last year even when she had refused one.

Nomi Davis, of Salt Spring Island, B.C. said the B.C. Hydro threatened to cut off here electricity supply when she asked the company to remove the device.

(An example fo a smart meter)

Smart meters are electrical meters that record power consumption in intervals of an hour or less. Unlike traditional meters that require a person to physically view the device to gather data from it, smart meters use radio waves to transmit information to a central system. Opponents of smart meters content that the device’s radio waves have health risks.

In the document filed by Davis before the B.C. court she said she was concerned about the smart meter’s high-frequency emissions. She said the installation of the device cased “emotional distress” and the meter has “disrupted the integrity of the space as a sanctuary for meditation, peace of mind and resonant attunement.” Davis uses her home to host yoga and meditation retreats.

David Aaron, lawyer for Davis said that B.C. Hydro used its power to violate his client’s rights by imposing the meter on Davis.

Earlier in June, the province’s energy minister announced that people who want to opt out of B.C.’s smart meter program can do so although it would cost them an extra $20 a month for maintenance fees.

B.C. Hydro contents health rrisks associated with smart meters have not been confirmed and that “exposure to radio frequency during a 20-year period life span of a smart meter is equivalent to the exposure during a single 30-minute cell phone call.”

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