Rookie Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr's bid to pressure BC Hydro to allow smart meter opponents to opt-out was powered-down by veteran Vision Vancouver Coun. Raymond Louie on Wednesday.
After spending much of the afternoon hearing from citizens against the $930million project and a BC Hydro executive defending the measure, Louie's "strike and replace" motion, which was passed by council, called on the Crown utility to protect the privacy of customers' data, have a transition strategy for workers made redundant by the new technology and consider an opt-out clause.
Carr originally wanted council to lobby BC Hydro to offer a no-cost opt-out and provide a list of locations of smart meter collector units and hubs. She also wanted the city to report smart meter-related, electromagnetic radiation concerns and health impacts to regional and provincial medical officers. Provincial medical health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said earlier this year that the energy measurement devices, which send energy use data wirelessly to BC Hydro, are not harmful to the public.
Carr said asbestos insulation and leaded gasoline were once considered safe, but research eventually found otherwise.
"There's no evidence that there is an impact [from smart meters]. There is no evidence that there isn't an impact, either," Carr said.
Vision Vancouver Coun. Kerry Jang singled out Rich Coleman, minister responsible for BC Hydro, for ignoring the Union of B.C. Municipalities' decision at last September's Vancouver convention that urged a moratorium on smart meter installation. "That's where some of that energy should be spent, going after Rich Coleman," Jang said. "He said 'too bad, so sad, off you go.'"
BC Hydro deputy project manager Fiona Taylor downplayed smart meter hacking risks and over-billing errors. She likened the devices to one-watt, low-power radios that transmit data "seconds a day."
"We have no way of seeing real-time information," Taylor said. Mayor Gregor Robertson agreed with pressing BC Hydro to offer an opt-out and sympathized with those expressing fears of radiation, but defended the project as a "really important technology for conserving energy."
"We have to be more energy efficient in our city and across our planet," Robertson said.
BC Hydro was paid $11,774,846 by the City of Vancouver in 2011, according to the city's statement of financial information. Robertson is reliant on BC Hydro for some of his pet projects.
Robertson led a delegation of senior city officials to the Crown utility's headquarters for a 90-minute meeting with then-BC Hydro CEO Dave Cobb and his senior officials on June 29, 2011 to discuss the "BC Hydro-City of Vancouver Conservation Collaborative."
Heavily redacted documents obtained via Freedom of Information do not indicate smart meters were discussed. A PowerPoint presentation shows the city asked for "potential support from BC Hydro executive if there is negative press about the city's involvement in financing retrofits." The presentation also mentioned the partners would "work together on planning and construction" of infrastructure. The agenda also included distributed generation and district energy, electric vehicles and green neighbourhoods.
Corix, which sponsored Robertson's Cities Summit in February, has the $73-million contract to install smart meters. Corix is part-owned by CAI Private Equity, whose Western Canadian operations director is BC Hydro board member Tracey McVicar. Itron of Spokane, Wash., got a $270-million contract to provide the devices. In 2009, Canaccord Financial oversaw Itron's $146 million stock sale. Canaccord Genuity president Jamie Brown is a BC Hydro board member. BC Hydro chairman Dan Doyle said in 2011 that McVicar and Brown recused themselves from voting on the contracts.
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