Dear editor,
OMG another smart meter letter….
Well, the Corix van pulled into the driveway today, and even though my wife picked up one of those ‘don’t install’ letters — with a pretty blatant spelling mistake, which doesn’t win votes in this household — I decided to let the guy go ahead. After all, our government and BC Hydro said it was OK.
So other than a computer crash — the installer forgot to remind us to turn electronics off — I have two main comments about this, and it tells more about how things really are than a bunch of warnings about wifi waves rotting our brain.
1) CSA approval. Wow. These meters are not approved.
I’m no fan of the CSA racket, as I’ve watched local electricians, in cahoots with bureaucrats and CSA, insist they won’t touch machines with UL and European Certification (much higher standards than CSA).
The last go-round for me took about 10 minutes. The inspector apologized and joked that it took him longer to fill the paperwork out than it did to test the machine. Then handed over an invoice for $1,400. Good work if you can get it.
So how is it that an electrical utility, using certified installers, can put a piece of equipment in my house that has not been CSA approved?
2) My old meters (we have three) were all proudly stamped Made in Canada. These new ones are from the USA.
That sucks, but what do you expect from governments (local, provincial, and federal) who don’t seem to understand and promote Canadian-based manufacturing, the true source of economic wealth and good jobs?
OK, I’ve got to go. Some Koreans just pulled in with a note from the province says they can start mining coal in the back yard, and now they’re fighting with the Chinese guys with the oil rig that showed up yesterday with the Government of Canada logos plastered all over it.
It’s getting hard to type with these sparks shooting out of my fingers.
Andy MacDougall,
Royston