Thursday January 12, 2012 (Vol. 37 No. 4)
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Jump start: Peninsula teams got the Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic started on the right foot Tuesday, as three senior boys squads – White Rock Christian, Southridge and Elgin Park – won their respective first-round games. see page A33
New technology in one-fifth of local homes
One per cent balk at meters Jeff Nagel Black Press
Jeff Nagel photo
BC Hydro’s David DeYagher compares a smart meter (foreground) to an analog meter.
In BC Hydro’s smart-meter lab in south Burnaby, staff know they still have an uphill battle in their ongoing bid to roll out their modernized smart power grid. It’s a steeper climb in some parts of the Lower Mainland than others. Less than 20 per cent of households have been switched over to the controversial wireless smart meters in Surrey, White Rock, the Tri-Cities and Maple Ridge. In contrast, 80 per cent of homes have now been converted in Richmond and Delta. The conversion rate is closer to 30 per cent in Vancouver, Burnaby and the North Shore, as well as the Mission, Abbotsford and Chilliwack areas in the Fraser Valley. About one per cent of B.C.’s 1.8 million households have balked at accepting smart meters in their homes. Hydro’s strategy is to work around the several thousand resisters. Meter installers go where they’re unopposed and continue their work. Eventually, officials say, everyone
First in a two-part series Ê Next: BC Hydro answers questions raised by opponents of smart meters will have to be onboard. “We have about 20 per cent of our system fully deployed now,” says Fiona Taylor, deputy project officer for the smart-metering program. “We’ve had about 1,000 customers to date call with concerns and then change their views on that once we’ve had a chance to talk to them.” Many who object worry that a new layer of wireless radiation penetrating their homes will harm their health. “There’s a significant amount of misinformation out there,” Hydro communications manager Cindy Verschoor said. “The meters are absolutely safe. They’ve been confirmed safe by the provincial health officer, the World Health Organization and Health Canada.” Smart meters do send brief wireless pulses out to the rest of the grid a few times a day to relay power-use data. see page A4
Appeal considered after figure jumps $223,000 in Ocean Park
Home-assessment boost ‘mystifies’ resident Alex Browne Staff Reporter
Ocean Park resident Sohan Rai was expecting his property assessment for 2012 to go up from the 2011 figure. He was expecting he might have to argue the figure with BC Assessment – it wouldn’t be the first time. But he wasn’t expecting a hike in value of $223,000. Last year’s assessment placed the land and building values for his 16-year-old home at $1,301,000. This year’s, it’s at $1,524,000 – a 17.1 per cent increase. South Fraser Region officials said last week Surrey and White Rock homeowners could expect to see changes in the minus-five per
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cent to plus-15 per cent range for 2012. However, deputy assessor Craig Barnsley noted Wednesday it is not unusual for some properties to show an increase of two per cent or even more over the predicted amount. Although some are registering surprise with assessments this year, “call volumes are not out of line with what we would expect.” Generally, “less than one per cent” of assessments are disputed, he said. For Rai, who is mulling an appeal, the increase means he’s now looking at paying around $12,000 in taxes, compared with last year’s bill of $9,000. Rai said the assessed value of his property has climbed by at least $200,000 in each
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of the last three years – and he can’t see why, particularly when neighbours spend far more on improvements. “I’ve been in the building trade for 45 years – I know how much these things cost.” And even though his three-storey stucco home may look grand, Rai said it was built economically, and he’s never been able to afford to finish it properly. Rai said he is finding his tax bill harder to meet each year, as he hasn’t been able to work much since he was injured in a car crash seven years ago. “We’re seeing the value of houses going up and up, but the economy is really low and there are no jobs out there,” he said. “Gas is
going up, groceries are going up. I don’t know how the government and the system works. It seems they want to grab the money.” Rai received his assessment Jan. 3. He is concerned his limited ability to express himself in English could hamper an appeal, in getting across the finer points of his arguments. Barnsley said owners can speak to supervisors if they disagree with an appraiser. “We’re all about public service and transparency,” he said. Property owners who feel their assessment doesn’t reflect market value are urged to contact BC Assessment as soon as possible. The deadline to appeal is Jan. 31. Visit www.bcassessment.ca or call 604-576-4700.
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