Submitted. After years of promoting misleading information and using intimidation tactics, BC Hydro declares victory based on the number of smart meter holdouts being reduced from approximately 68,000 to 20,000.
BC Hydro has announced that it is pleased with the “acceptance” percentage that has been achieved. We question whether threatening people with power shut off and coercing them to “accept” something against their will should translate to success. Since when has it been an acceptable BC government strategy to browbeat its citizens to acquiesce to an unacceptable situation within their own homes? This “success” was achieved through improper means.
A civil lawsuit against BC Hydro was filed in July 2013 on behalf of all account holders who do not want a smart meter representing those with analogue meters, those with smart meters who have changed their minds and want them removed, and those who were bullied into taking a smart meter against their will. Every BC Hydro account holder who does not want a smart meter is invited to participate in this civil lawsuit, with application going before the courts to be certified as a class action.
People who resisted the microwave transmitter on their homes were given an opt out “choice” by Bill Bennett, one of the key elements being an interim charge of $35 beginning December 1 for retention of analogue, (yet to be approved by the BC Utilities Commission). It is clear that the intention of the BC Liberals is not to provide any true democratic choice, but to continue the forced application of microwave meters upon the population, adding pressure of extortionate fees to break resistance. Those on fixed or limited incomes are faced with a difficult decision: accept a radiation-emitting, security and fire risk device and be able to pay for food and heat, or pay to keep their home safe leaving less funds to meet costs of basic necessities. BC Hydro advises that failure to make payment could result in power disconnection. This by definition is extortion.
According to the Notice of Claim filed November 18, 2013 by David Aaron, lawyer for the civil lawsuit against BC Hydro, such correspondence is improper as it targets and attempts to manipulate the class of persons represented in the lawsuit.
“BC Hydro has engaged in a course of conduct that is intimidating, threatening, and coercive and, in consideration of the information vacuum, sufficiently misleading to vitiate any notion that putative Class members executing a “choice” are doing so on an informed basis.”
“This oppression of democratic choice is significant and serious and should not be tolerated from our government.” comments Una St. Clair, Director of Citizens for Safe Technology Society. “We believe the intention is to disrupt our civil lawsuit and remove participants by forcing them into a new contract against their will. However, the very basis of the lawsuit is to remedy situations where smart meters are being forced upon customers under protest and duress.”
The civil law suit and class action application is continuing and numbers of those participating is steadily increasing as British Columbians realize the Smart Meter program violates fundamental democratic, human and civil rights. According to Sharon Noble, Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters, “The number of people registering as participants is increasing daily, with many expressing anger over their treatment and how laws of this province have been manipulated or ignored for the sake of control and corporate profit. I believe this harassment campaign is back-firing.”