Shuswap Your Classified Connection / Vol. 23 No. 17 Friday, April 27, 2012
Market News
Inside
Ship’s come in
Salmon Arm
# BC Ambulance Service Sicamous Unit Chief Kathy Crandlemire gives the Shuswap’s new emergency boat a hug as it’s dropped off late Wednesday afternoon. Crandlemire has been angling for several years to get a vessel in the Shuswap dedicated to on-water medical emergencies, about 40 of which occur annually. The boat, brought in through the Shuswap Emergency Program, will be operated by volunteers with the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. It will be another month before the vessel is fully operational, as crews continue with familiarization training.
19 Got engines? SAS can put them to good use. Plus South Shuswap 8,9 Sports 18
Chase
A20 Vital Link Daughter, boyfriend credited with saving dad’s life. Plus Nesting A21 What’s On A23
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LACHLAN LABERE/MARKET NEWS
CSRD won’t act to stop smart meters Presentation: Installation of new devices in the Shuswap 80 per cent done. By Barb Brouwer
Marine Park, others sat quietly in the boardroom for the 15-minute presentation by Jennifer Walker-Larsen and Mora Scott. Media relations rep Walker-Larsen described the program, which is legislated under B.C.’s Clean Energy Act, and said current infrastructure is provided by 1960s technology that needs to be brought into the 21st century.
MARKET NEWS STAFF
A presentation on smart meters by BC Hydro attracted about 25 protesters and drew criticism from directors at last week’s Columbia Shuswap Regional District board meeting. While some protesters held signs and passed out pamphlets outside the regional district building at
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Scott explained that BC Hydro is more than halfway finished installing smart meters in the province. In terms of the regional district, she said the utility is about 80 per cent complete in the Shuswap and 15 per cent in the Salmon Arm area. She said current technology prevents hydro from tracking power outages or theft.
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“We operate blind, we have no feedback on the grid to get information on how we’re operating,” she said, noting that because the utility has no way of tracking, more electricity than needed is actually sent down the lines to ensure all customers get the proper voltage. Scott explained how the smart meter’s one-watt radio transmitter works and
said the resulting data collection would enable homeowners to make smart choices about “tools” they want to use. Area F North Shuswap director Larry Morgan challenged not only the “smart” technology, but the manner in which he said British Columbians were made aware of the switch from analog See Meters on page 3
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