Burns Lake Lakes District News, April 18, 2012

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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Volume 92 - No. 16

Local business owner requests council sort out inequities. p3

www.ldnews.net

$1.34 HST inc.

Lake Babine Nation hosts ‘United Nations’ cultural unity gathering. p12

Province gives thumbs up Mixed reports for hospital replacement on faulty smart meters More complaints about smart meters surface REBECCA BILLARD

Rebecca Billard photo

(L-R) Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad, Mayor Luke Strimbold and Health Minister Michael de Jong celebrate the announcement of the Lakes District Hospital replacement last week. Amid loud applause and not under estimate the degree "The new hospital that is becheering, Health Minister Mi- to which your community's ing announced for Burns Lake chael de Jong who arrived in response to the Babine Forest will allow health professionals Burns Lake to announce the Products tragedy has inspired to continue giving high levels project, said the procurement others across B.C. and across of support for those in need," will begin this spring with Canada. This tale will be told Minister de Jong said. construction expected to start and retold for many years to "Burns Lake has been in in 2013 and be completed in come." need of a new hospital for REBECCA BILLARD 2015. The long awaited news was some time. This has been my "We want to get on with this also welcomed by chiefs from number one capital priority as A crowd of locals gathered and we want to see this take the six local First Nations, well as Northern Health's. The at the Margaret Patrick Memoshape," he said. Michael McMillan, chief op- announcement that the provrial Hall last Thursday heard The announcement was erating officer from Northern ince is moving forward with the long awaited news that made during a Babine Forest Health, government officials, construction of a replacement the Lakes District Hospital re- Products sawmill employee including Nechako Lakes care facility is great news," placement project was given breakfast. MLA John Rustad and Mayor said Rustad. the provincial thumbs up. Minister de Jong said, "Do Luke Strimbold. More on page 2 ...

Construction set to be completed by 2015

Water System Operators are in Demand!

Since BC Hydro began installing smart meters in homes across the province, complaints about higher than usual bills have surfaced. To date, approximately 1,500 smart meters have already been installed in the local area and there is about 2,500 meters that are yet to be installed locally. BC Hydro expects they will be installed by the end of this month. Recently more than 1,000 smart meters, which are made by Itron Inc. of Washington State, have been removed from homes across the province and according to BC Hydro spokesperson Simi Heer, Itron is paying for the testing, removal and replacement of these smart meters. Bob Gammer, from BC Hydro further explained the reason why the meters were removed. He said, "BC Hydro is testing 1,000 meters as part of its

ongoing quality assurance program. This is a small sample, in fact a fraction of one percent of the 1.85 million new smart meters BC Hydro is installing." Gammer said, "There is absolutely no connection between smart meters and any reported increases in customers bills. In all of the cases we have investigated, we have not found a single link. We are receiving more complaints about customers with analog meters than we are with smart meters," he said. According to Gammer, BC Hydro looks into all customer enquiries and is able to solve 99 per cent of them over the phone. There are many reasons why customers may experience higher than usual electricity bills which Gammer said could include cold winter weather and darker days, which lead customers to use more heat and light. "Weather data shows that this past winter has been colder than the previous year. In December, the province was nine percent colder than last year and in January, parts of the province were as much as eight percent colder than last year. On average, home heating can account for

CNC’s Essential Skills for Small Water Systems will assist you to enter the Thompson River University’s Small Water System Operations Program coming to Burns Lake in July.

More on page 5 ...

Some funding is available.

May 2 to June 29 Phone: 250.692.1700 • Fax: 250.692.1750 • Toll Free: 1.866.692.1943 545 Highway 16 West • PO Box 5000, Burns Lake, BC • V0J 1E0 Email: lksdist@cnc.bc.ca • Website: www.cnc.bc.ca/lakesdistrict


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Burns Lake Lakes District News, April 18, 2012 by Black Press Media Group - Issuu