CASTLEGAR NEWS Your Horoscope For the Week with Michael O’Connor inside the West Kootenay Advertiser
Thursday, August •
Vol. • Issue
Breaking news at castlegarnews.com
Financial infusion for Hockey prep is underway for education program Rebels See Page A10 See Page A15 Rauni Naud
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Yulia Sushkova, an author from Russia, gives a copy of her book on Doukhobors to Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko at the Hiroshima Day commemoration event at Mir Centre on Monday, Aug. 6. The occasion marked the observance of the first use of atomic weapons, which led the way to the end of the Second World War in 1945. Please see related story on page A2.
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FortisBC applies for smart meter installation CRAIG LINDSAY With files from Trail Daily Times
So far throughout the province, the installation of smart meters has gone over about about as well as a lead zeppelin. While much of B.C., which is covered by BC Hydro, is fighting the smart metre wave, residents in the Southern Interior including Castlegar, who are served by FortisBC, have been spared thus far.
That may soon come to an end as FortisBC has officially filed an application with the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) on July 26. The power company plans to install around 115,000 meters in the West Kootenay and the Okanagan. “Last week we applied to the BCUC. So this is just the start of the regulatory process,” said Neal Pobran, corporate com-
munications advisor for FortisBC. “For any major project we do at Fortis we have to apply to BCUC. Advanced metering (smart meters) is no different. We’ll go through the regulatory process which is public and transparent. People can get involved in that. That should take most of this year, we figure. We cannot proceed with this process without a positive de-
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cision from the commission.” Once the FortisBC application is approved by the BCUC, people will not be able to choose whether or not to have a smart meter installed. “We’re proposing this would go for all of our electricity customers,” said Pobran. “We’re not proposing an opt-out in this application.” Pobran says the advanced metering in-
age. With AMI we’ll have a better indication where it’s occurring. Also, customer service will be better because customers will know at near real time how much electricity they’re using. “ When asked about health concerns regarding the smart meters, Pobran says the company is following the experts in the field. Continued on P. A3
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frastructure (AMI) is expected to save customers $19 million. “They’ll see the savings through cutting back on electricity theft and operational savings,” he said. “Right now, we figure there is $3.7 million a year in electricity theft and all customers pay for that. Some other benefits are better power restoration. Right now we rely on customers to call us if there’s an out-
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