Mesachie Lake health enthusiast Mary Lowther is dead-set against the installation of Smart Meters. So much so that she's putting pressure on BC Hydro to call off the project.
As reported in last week's Gazette, BC Hydro plans on installing brand new Smart Meters in place of the existing hydro meters on all BC Hydro users' properties.
What makes these new meters unique is that they are digital, capturing and recording the amount of power that is used, and pinpointing just when it is being used.
In an interview with the Gazette, BC Hydro Smart Meters' project officer Gary Murphy stated that the level of radiation emitted from the meters is comparable to that produced by baby monitors.
In Lowther's opinion, this just isn't good enough.
"There's already enough radio frequency radiation," she said. "They say these are safe levels, but this is one more straw on the camel's back."
In a world saturated by technology, any amount of additional radiation is bad thing.
"This radiation can cause all kinds of things, including cancer," she said.
When asked why she's decided to take on this project, Lowther said that someone had to step up to the plate.
"Someone has to get the ball rolling. This is such an important issue. I can't sit and wait for someone to do it," she said.
Although the health implications of Smart Meters are at the front of her argument, Lowther said that the Smart Meters will bring with them the elimination of BC Hydro staff.
Lowther encourages anyone in the Cowichan Lake area who is against the installation of Smart Meters e-mail her their name, to mary_lowther@yahoo.ca.
She hopes to then pass the list of names on to Honeymoon Bay/Skutz Falls area director Ian Morrison.
Though it was initially hoped that Morrison would pass the arguments against Smart Meters, and the list of names Lowther collects on to other politicians and BC Hydro representatives during the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities conference in Sidney, April 8 to 10, Morrison said that the issue was brought to his attention too late to be added into the meeting’s agenda.
But, like any issue, if there is significant public support against the installation of Smart Meters, Morrison said that the issue will be dealt with, before they're installed this summer.
"If sufficient support for investigating it further is found, I'm going to bring it to the appropriate authorities," he said.