"Some west Ottawa parents are speaking out about their concerns with wireless internet connections in their children's school, saying not enough is known about long-term exposure to Wi-Fi . . .

"Our children should be dissecting rats, they shouldn't be functioning as lab rats," Van Hees said, "And this constitutes as a massive experiment on children." "Jessica Van Hees says children are being put at risk by schools that have Wi-Fi. (CBC)

"About one-third of schools at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board are already equipped for Wi-Fi, but the plan is to have all schools, including portables, ready by the end of 2012. Semple and Van Hees Both say their school has not informed them about installing Wi-Fi, which is set for March.

"There is conflicting information about whether exposure to radio frequencies from a wireless internet connection is a health hazard.

"A World Health Organization report from May 2011 indicates the frequencies may be linked to some forms of cancer. In December, Health Canada updated its website to acknowledge the alternative viewpoint from international agencies but insists more research is needed and Wi-Fi is no cause for concern . . .

"Summary:
Fueled by stimulus funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), electric utilities have accelerated their deployment of smart meters to millions of homes across the United States with help from the Department of Energy's Smart Grid Investment Grant program. As the meters multiply, so do issues concerning the privacy and security of the data collected by the new technology.

"This Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) promises to increase energy efficiency, bolster electric power grid reliability, and facilitate demand response, among other benefits. However, to fulfill these ends, smart meters must record near-real time data on consumer electricity usage and transmit the data to utilities over great distances via communications networks that serve the smart grid.

"Detailed electricity usage data offers a window into the lives of people inside of a home by revealing what individual appliances they are using, and the transmission of the data potentially subjects this information to interception or theft by unauthorized third parties or hackers . . .

"A rush by the Energy Department to use stimulus money to modernize the country's power grid has left the system vulnerable to cyberattacks, the agency's internal watchdog found.

"Inspector General Gregory H. Friedman found "shortcomings" in the cybersecurity plans of more than a third of the utility companies that got federal funding for "smart grid" projects -- from incomplete strategies to prevent an attack to vague steps for stopping one if it started.

"Without a formal risk assessment and associated mitigation strategy, threats and weaknesses may go unidentified and expose the . . . systems to an unacceptable level of risk," Friedman wrote in an audit released in January.

"Energy officials knew of these weaknesses but approved plans for the projects anyway, auditors said: "The initial weaknesses had not always been fully addressed, and did not include a number of security practices commonly recommended for federal government and industry systems. . . .

* Note the comments

"A Nanaimo apartment building manager estimates that nearly one-third of the residents in his 50-unit building have come to him complaining of bill increases since controversial smart meters were installed at the property in November.

"Many of Mike Pickup's tenants are older and on fixed incomes and the claimed increases, which are said to double in some cases, are a financial strain they cannot bear, he says.

"B.C. Hydro has countered that any possible increase to electrical bills at properties are likely attributable to the winter season and that they get just as many complaints of high bills from those without smart meters and those with them.

"While smart meters are installed on many homes in B.C., they aren't yet transmitting information and are still being read manually.

"We have had nothing but issues with these smart meters," said Pickup, on-site manager of an apartment building near downtown Nanaimo.

"We've been charged more. . . it seems like bills are up all the way around, inexplicably."

" . . . Even empty units are being hit with unusual invoices since the smart meters were installed in November, Pickup said.

"A vacant suite with the box turned off that the electrician just checked there was no power coming into the suite even, got a $50 bill for that period of time. In fact it was $80, then it was $50 for the next month, but vacant both months . . .

REPORT A PROBLEM

"The Coalition to Stop Smart Meters is asking everyone who is experiencing any problems during the installation of a smart meter or after having a smart meter installed to contact them at: coordinator1@stopsmartmetersbc.ca

"The problems can be related to any issue such as:
- Intimidation, threats, bullying, harassment by Corix installers or BC Hydro
- Increased utility bills
- Damage to appliances, meters or property
- Interference with home or medical equipment
- Health. Health effects most often reported in other jurisdictions include, but are not limited to: Tinnitus or Ringing in the ears, Palpitations, Tachycardia, Arrhythmia, Headaches, Dizziness, and Sleep disturbance

"It is important that all problems be reported in detail, with date of installation of the smart meter, and the date when problems occurred, began or were first noticed. Such data could be useful for legal redress . . . 

BILL INCREASE
TELL YOUR STORY TO B.C. NEWSPAPERS

"THEY have long feared that a mobile phone mast has been causing cancer in their village. Now the residents of Benajarafe have scored a massive victory by having it removed.

"After a two year battle, Vodafone has been ordered to take down the controversial transmitter.

"The locals are adamant that the mast, which stands just metres from their houses was the reason for a high incidence of recent cancer deaths.

"Of the nearly 400 residents there have been a staggering 50 cases of cancer with more than 30 people dying in recent years.

"Many others claim to have been suffering from insomnia, headaches, depression and memory disorders due to the mast . . .

"Please be advised that I am legal counsel for the Canadian office and Professional Employees' Union, local 378 (COPE 378). The Union wishes to comment with respect to this Complaint.

"Although the Clean Energy Act limits the jurisdiction of the Commission in some respects in relation to enumerated BC Hydro contracts and capital projects, the Commission's powers and responsibilities remain intact beyond the boundaries of those legislated intrusions.

"In the case of SMI, the limits imposed by the Act upon the Commission's jurisdiction are delimited by the terms of the Smart Meters and Smart Grid Regulation, B.C. Reg. 368/2010. BC Hydro does not require the Commission's approval in order to comply with the specifications set out in that Order in Council. However, if any aspect of the SMI program being implemented by BC Hydro deviates from the Regulation or extends beyond it - for example, by incorporating a feature or capability which is not specified in the Regulation - it requires regulatory approval in the normal course . . .

BCUC Complaint

"If you are unfamiliar with my case, I've already written three articles on this disaster; see here. I still have my old analog meter; the meter reader dutifully comes once a month. I unlock the gates, escort him to him to the meter and back out the gate; on go the locks.

"As you can see in article one at the bottom, there are links to more than a dozen articles from experts in the field of electro magnetic frequency radiation technology. For those of us who have zero understanding in that field, I've now spent more than 200 hours reading and sorting opinions from scientists and doctors who have decades of experience. All this 'dirty energy' is killing us and that's not hyperbole . . .

 
"It's been 9 months since the WHO warned of a cell phone and mobile tower radiation leading to increased risks of cancer.So what has the government done to protect you and raise awareness on the potential risks and do's and dont's. The issue of radiation itself that we are exploring covers two major areas. The first - radiation from mobile phone towers that have cropped up all over cities over the last decade posing a huge health risk. The second is radiation from cellphone that you and me are exposed to on a day to day basis out of regular usage and which there's seemingly no getting away from."