{"id":1697,"date":"2011-01-01T16:28:42","date_gmt":"2011-01-01T23:28:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?page_id=1697"},"modified":"2016-03-31T14:53:32","modified_gmt":"2016-03-31T21:53:32","slug":"smart-meters-ontario","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?page_id=1697","title":{"rendered":"Smart Meters &#8211;  Ontario"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px; line-height: 22.0px; font: 22.0px Arial; color: #1e5585;\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; color: #000000; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"line-height: 19px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial; color: #1e5585; font-size: x-large;\"><span style=\"line-height: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/102253803156673\/\">Hydro One &#8220;Enough is Enough&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC9gNciNDwN0JYSjOqLKeoVA\">Video Coverage<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px; line-height: 22.0px; font: 22.0px Arial; color: #1e5585;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545; min-height: 17.0px;\"><strong>&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Smart Meter Brands used in Ontario\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/meter1.jpg\" width=\"404\" height=\"494\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Simcoe Ontario &#8211; \u00a0<strong>SENSUS\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">iCON Smart Meter \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sensus.com\/Module\/Catalog\/ElectricCategory?id=101\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">http:\/\/www.sensus.com\/Module\/Catalog\/ElectricCategory?id=101<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kingstonhydro.ca\/Cms_Data\/Contents\/KingstonHydro\/Media\/images\/smartMeter300x225.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Kingston Ontario &#8211; \u00a0<strong>SENSUS\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">iCON Smart Meter \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kingstonhydro.ca\/SmartMeters\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">http:\/\/www.kingstonhydro.ca\/SmartMeters<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/notlhydro.com\/userfiles\/image\/SmartMeterWeb.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/notlhydro.com\/userfiles\/image\/SmartMeterWeb.gif\" width=\"420\" height=\"420\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Niagra on the Lake Hydro &#8211; \u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SENSUS\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">iCON Smart Meter \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span><span style=\"color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/notlhydro.com\/residential\/readmeter\/\">http:\/\/notlhydro.com\/residential\/readmeter\/<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/kitchener.ctvnews.ca\/green-button-initiative-to-allow-energy-tracking-from-smart-phones-1.1049222\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-4769\" alt=\"kitchener\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/kitchener-1024x579.jpg\" width=\"574\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/kitchener-1024x579.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/kitchener-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/kitchener.jpg 1188w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 574px) 100vw, 574px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Kitchener Waterloo\u00a0&#8211; \u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SENSUS\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">iCON Smart Meter\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.electricityforum.com\/news\/sep09\/ThreeOntarioutilitiesoptforFlexNetmetering.html\">electricityforum.com<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/kitchener.ctvnews.ca\/green-button-initiative-to-allow-energy-tracking-from-smart-phones-1.1049222\">CTV News 2012<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Cambridge &amp; North Dunfries\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">&#8211; <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SENSUS\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">iCON Smart Meter\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><a style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.electricityforum.com\/news\/sep09\/ThreeOntarioutilitiesoptforFlexNetmetering.html\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">electricityforum.com\/news\/sep09\/ThreeOntarioutilitiesoptforFlexNetmetering.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/collwood.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-6620\" alt=\"collwood\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/collwood.jpg\" width=\"572\" height=\"444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/collwood.jpg 2944w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/collwood-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/collwood-1024x793.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 572px) 100vw, 572px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Collingwood Ontario\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SENSUS\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">iCON Smart Meter\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; color: #0000ff;\">\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.colluspowerstream.ca\/collus-powerstream-smart-meters-have-proven-safety-record\">www.colluspowerstream.ca\/collus-powerstream-smart-meters-have-proven-safety-record<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Collingwood Ontario\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">&#8211;\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/2015\/06\/03\/crisis-averted-as-ont-smart-meter-explodes-next-to-gas-line\">Crisis averted as Ontario smart meter explodes next to gas line<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-4753\" alt=\"londonhydro\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/londonhydro.png\" width=\"485\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/londonhydro.png 808w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/londonhydro-264x300.png 264w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>London Ontario &#8211; PHASE TWO was\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SENSUS\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">iCON Smart Meter \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">according to the\u00a0<strong>Public Interest Advocacy Centre in Ottawa<\/strong><\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>QUOTE : &#8221;\u00a0<span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5em;\">In addition, API indicates that, as part of the District 9 (D9) group of seven utilities in northeastern Ontario, it worked collectively with these utilities to develop a single project plan, single AMI solution, single vendors and pooled resources for educational and research activities. D9 also participated in the\u00a0<strong>London Hydro Phase Two<\/strong>\u00a0RFP Proposal process that\u00a0<strong>resulted in a contract with Sensus<\/strong>. All Regional Collectors are owned by API and the D9 utilities share a single Regional Network Interface (RNI).&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/sudbury\/smart-meters-linked-to-saskatchewan-fires-used-in-sudbury-1.2733460?cmp=rss\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4771\" alt=\"Sudbury_Sensus_CBC\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Sudbury_Sensus_CBC.jpg\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Sudbury_Sensus_CBC.jpg 620w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Sudbury_Sensus_CBC-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em;\">Sudbury Ontario &#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>S<\/strong><\/span><strong>ENSUS\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">iCON Smart Meter<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;\">QUOTE : &#8221; In Sudbury, the local utility has installed 173 Sensus smart meters from the same Generation 3 line, but not the same model as used in Saskatchewan, with the only difference likely being software, said vice-president Brian McMillan.&#8221; \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/canada\/2014\/08\/11\/smart_meters_that_started_fires_in_saskatchewan_not_used_in_ontario.html\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;\"><span style=\"line-height: 20px;\">thestar.com Aug 11 &#8211; 2014<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?p=1271\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-4698\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2014-08-11 at 12.29.06 PM\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-08-11-at-12.29.06-PM-1024x697.png\" width=\"491\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-08-11-at-12.29.06-PM-1024x697.png 1024w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-08-11-at-12.29.06-PM-300x204.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Stratford Ontario &#8211;\u00a0<strong>Trilliant (Landis+Gyr)\u00a0<\/strong><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Focus Smart Meter \u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/trilliantinc.com\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; color: #0000ff;\">trilliantinc.com<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Brampton Ontario\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">\u00a0<\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Trilliant (Landis+Gyr)\u00a0<\/strong><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Focus Smart Meter \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hydroonebrampton.com\/smart_metering.html\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">hydroonebrampton.com\/smart_metering.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Collingwood Ontario &#8211;\u00a0<strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Trilliant (Landis+Gyr)\u00a0<\/strong><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Focus \u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; color: #0000ff;\">\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.colluspowerstream.ca\/collus-powerstream-smart-meters-have-proven-safety-record\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">www.colluspowerstream.ca\/collus-powerstream-smart-meters-have-proven-safety-record<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>North Bay \/ Nipissing Ontario\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">\u00a0<\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Trilliant (Landis+Gyr)\u00a0<\/strong><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Focus Smart Meter \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hydroone.com\/OurCompany\/MediaCentre\/Documents\/NewsReleases2009\/05_21_2009_Nipissing_TOU_pilot.pdf\">hydroone.com\/&#8230;NewsReleases2009\/05_21_2009_Nipissing_TOU_pilot.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Brampton Ontario &#8211;\u00a0<strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Trilliant (Landis+Gyr)\u00a0<\/strong><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Focus Smart Meter \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hydroone.com\/OurCompany\/MediaCentre\/Documents\/NewsReleases2008\/06_16_2008_Smart_Grid.pdf\">hydroone.com\/&#8230;NewsReleases2008\/06_16_2008_Smart_Grid.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Thunder Bay Hydro\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Trilliant (Landis+Gyr)\u00a0<\/strong><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Focus Smart Meter \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tbhydro.on.ca\/Market\/Smart-Meters.htm\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">http:\/\/www.tbhydro.on.ca\/Market\/Smart-Meters.htm<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4759\" alt=\"hydroOnetrilliant\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/hydroOnetrilliant.jpg\" width=\"545\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/hydroOnetrilliant.jpg 545w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/hydroOnetrilliant-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 545px) 100vw, 545px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Hydro One \u00a0&#8211; \u00a0<em>&#8220;<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri;\">Working with vendor partner\u00a0<strong>Trilliant Networks<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri;\">&#8221; \u00a0<\/span><\/em><a style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hydroone.com\/OurCompany\/MediaCentre\/Documents\/NewsReleases2012\/03_06_2012_Distribution_System_Modernization.pdf\">hydroone.com\/&#8230;NewsReleases2012\/03_06_2012_Distribution_System_Modernization.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Ottawa Ontario &#8211; HydroOttawa &#8211;\u00a0<strong>Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.itron.com\/na\/productsAndServices\/Pages\/CENTRON%20II.aspx?market=electricity\">www.itron.com<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefreelibrary.com\/Itron+Adds+Another+Fixed+Network+Deployment+Of+Smart+Meters+in...-a0136695306\">thefreelibrary.com\/Itron+Adds+Another+Fixed+Network&#8230;<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Pilot Project (2005) \u00a0Itron and Elster Meters &#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ontarioenergyboard.ca\/documents\/cases\/RP-2004-0203\/2006-annualreports\/hydroottawa.pdf\">http:\/\/www.ontarioenergyboard.ca\/documents\/cases\/RP-2004-0203\/2006-annualreports\/hydroottawa.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Toronto Ontario &#8211;\u00a0<strong>Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter \u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.itron.com\/na\/productsAndServices\/Pages\/CENTRON%20II.aspx?market=electricity\">www.itron.com<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; color: #0000ff;\">\u00a0<\/span><a style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thefreelibrary.com\/Itron+Adds+Another+Fixed+Network+Deployment+Of+Smart+Meters+in...-a0136695306\">thefreelibrary.com\/Itron+Adds+Another+Fixed+Network&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Toronto Ontario &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.greentoronto.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/microfit-040.jpg\"><strong>Itron Sensus Industrial Meters for Business<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">London Ontario &#8211; Phase One &#8211;\u00a0<\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter \u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.itron.com\/mxca\/en\/newsAndEvents\/Pages\/London-Hydro-Entrusts-Itron-Software-to-Streamline-Back-office-Processes.aspx\">www.itron.com<\/a><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><em><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?p=4109\">London Residents refuse meters<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Wasaga Beach Ontario\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefreelibrary.com\/Itron+to+Deploy+Smart+Meters+in+Ontario.-a0128259617\">thefreelibrary.com\/Itron+to+Deploy&#8230;<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><a style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thefreelibrary.com\/Itron+Adds+Another+Fixed+Network+Deployment+Of+Smart+Meters+in...-a0136695306\">thefreelibrary.com\/Itron+Adds+Another&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Barrie \/ Newmarket Ontario <span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter \u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefreelibrary.com\/Itron+Adds+Another+Fixed+Network+Deployment+Of+Smart+Meters+in...-a0136695306\">thefreelibrary.com\/Itron+Adds+Another+Fixed+Network &#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sarnia Ontario \/ Bluewater Power\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter \u00a0 <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/tdworld.com\/smarter-grid\/itron-adds-fixed-network-deployment-smart-meters-newmarket-hydro\">tdworld.com\/smarter-grid\/itron-adds-fixed-network-deployment<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4752\" alt=\"ottawa_elstermeter\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/ottawa_elstermeter.jpg\" width=\"597\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/ottawa_elstermeter.jpg 597w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/ottawa_elstermeter-300x211.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 597px) 100vw, 597px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Ottawa Ontario &#8211;\u00a0<strong>Elster Smart Meter \u00a0&#8220;ELSTER Meters, A pilot project in Ottawa along with ITRON&#8221;\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">HydroOttawa Pilot Project (2005) \u00a0Itron &amp; Elster Meters &#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ontarioenergyboard.ca\/documents\/cases\/RP-2004-0203\/2006-annualreports\/hydroottawa.pdf\">http:\/\/www.ontarioenergyboard.ca\/documents\/cases\/RP-2004-0203\/2006-annualreports\/hydroottawa.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/2014\/12\/09\/smart-meters-continue-to-be-stupid\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5011\" alt=\"elster_TorontoHydro\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/elster_TorontoHydro.jpg\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/elster_TorontoHydro.jpg 650w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/elster_TorontoHydro-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Toronto Ontario &#8211;\u00a0<strong>Elster Smart Meter used in 2004 &#8211;\u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.metering.com\/toronto-hydro-selects-energyaxis-smart-meters-7020\/\">http:\/\/www.metering.com\/toronto-hydro-selects-energyaxis-smart-meters-7020\/<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Burlington Ontario &#8211;\u00a0<strong>Elster Smart Meter used in 2004 &#8211;\u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.smartmeters.com\/elsters-energyaxis-to-power-ontario-electric-vehicle-project\/\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; color: #0000ff;\">http:\/\/www.smartmeters.com\/elsters-energyaxis-to-power-ontario-electric-vehicle-project\/<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"color: #454545; font-family: Tahoma; line-height: normal;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.digitaljournal.com\/img\/3\/6\/0\/2\/1\/4\/i\/7\/4\/9\/o\/smart_meter_ontario.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-4761\" alt=\"GE_1220_Guelph\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/GE_1220_Guelph-832x1024.jpg\" width=\"499\" height=\"614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/GE_1220_Guelph-832x1024.jpg 832w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/GE_1220_Guelph-243x300.jpg 243w, https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/GE_1220_Guelph.jpg 914w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 499px) 100vw, 499px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Guelph Ontario &#8211;\u00a0<strong>GE I-210 Smart Meter w\/SilverSprings Network &#8211; \u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.guelphhydro.com\/en\/residential\/resources\/CEIVA-Guelph-SetupGuide.pdf\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em; color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em;\">guelphhydro.com\/en\/residential\/resources\/CEIVA-Guelph-SetupGuide.pdf<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"color: #454545; font-family: Tahoma; line-height: normal;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 5px; font-size: 27px; line-height: normal; font-family: Arial;\"><b>Hydro One reacts to damning Ombudsman report<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 5px; line-height: normal; font-family: Arial;\"><b>Marin said he told Hydro One to change the disconnection threat weeks ago, but the complaints kept rolling in<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 12px; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal; font-family: Arial; color: #595959;\"><span style=\"color: #125278;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/cbc-news-online-news-staff-list-1.1294364\">CBC News<\/a><\/span> Posted: Mar 12, 2015 12:10 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 12, 2015 12:10 PM ET<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">A spokesperson for Hydro One says the utility is taking recent comments by Ontario&#8217;s Ombudsman\u00a0about its collection practices\u00a0&#8220;to heart.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ul style=\"padding-left: 3em; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative; margin-left: -1em; list-style: none outside none;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #115278; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/sudbury\/ombudsman-urges-hydro-one-to-stop-sending-threatening-letters-1.2989721\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Ombudsman urges Hydro One to stop sending threatening letters<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">In a report released Wednesday, Andre Marin didn&#8217;t shy away from words like &#8220;cruel&#8221; and &#8220;deceitful&#8221;\u00a0in accusing Hydro One of extortion in the way it has tried to force payment on\u00a0outstanding bills.<\/p>\n<div class=\"figure col4width floatright\" style=\"width: 300px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: #dcdcdc; margin-bottom: 1rem; clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 20px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; height: auto;\" alt=\"andre-marin-feature\" src=\"http:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.2909407.1422486896!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_300\/andre-marin-feature.jpg\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"figure-caption\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.5rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 1.35em; font-size: 0.91667rem; color: #595959; padding-top: 0.5rem;\">Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin said Hydro One&#8217;s collection practices have been &#8220;cruel&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Marin said the utility has been\u00a0threatening to\u00a0cut off people&#8217;s electricity,\u00a0even during the winter months \u2014 something that contravenes Hydro One&#8217;s own policy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">He said he told the utility that\u00a0threatening disconnection letters, though largely hollow in effect, &#8220;must stop.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">The vice president of Customer and Corporate Relations with\u00a0Hydro One said they&#8217;ve &#8220;taken the Ombudsman&#8217;s comments to heart.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve changed the letter now,&#8221;\u00a0Laura Cooke said.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 1.66667rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 1.25; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Letter re-written, again<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">That letter is at the heart of Marin&#8217;s latest criticism. He said he told Hydro One to change the disconnection threat weeks ago, but the complaints to his office kept rolling in.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Cooke said the offending letter has been re-written again.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">&#8220;It was clear that [Marin] wasn&#8217;t\u00a0satisfied with the changes we made to the disconnection letter &#8230; [it] now does says that we will not cut people off during the\u00a0winter months,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">&#8220;With any luck, he&#8217;ll agree to the new wording in the letter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Cooke was adamant that Hydro One does not threaten to cut people off without plenty of opportunity to address outstanding bills.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">&#8220;One of things that we try to do with customers is ensure that people keep\u00a0their accounts current,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">&#8220;Before a customer gets a\u00a0disconnection\u00a0notice &#8230; we&#8217;ve\u00a0had a long discussion with that\u00a0customer. We&#8217;ve probably had a\u00a0friendly reminder phone call, a friendly letter, another phone call, another letter. So this disconnection process is at the end of a very long communications practice.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Cooke also said Hydro One looks for ways to help people keep the lights on.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">&#8220;We recognize that some of our customers are having a challenging time and so we talk to them about instalment plans or payment plans.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Marin has been looking into Hydro One billing for 13 months. To date, the number of complaints he has received recently passed 10,000 \u2014\u00a0the highest total for any of his investigations to date.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Marin&#8217;s full report is slated to\u00a0be issued in the spring.<\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"color: #454545; font-family: Tahoma; line-height: normal;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px; line-height: 22.0px; font: 22.0px Arial; color: #1e5585;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Two Hydro One executives depart in wake of overbilling probe <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #405466;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 19px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 22px;\">Two of Hydro One\u2019s top customer service executives have parted ways with the utility in the wake of ombudsman Andr\u00e9 Marin\u2019s probe of billing practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Tahoma; line-height: normal; font-size: 14px; color: #454545;\">by Robert Benzie &#8211; February 22, 2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545; min-height: 17.0px;\">http:\/\/<a style=\"line-height: 1.22em; text-decoration: underline; color: blue; cursor: pointer;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/queenspark\/2014\/02\/22\/two_hydro_one_executives_depart_in_wake_of_overbilling_probe.html\" target=\"_blank\">www.thestar.com\/news\/queenspark\/2014\/02\/22\/two_hydro_one_executives_depart_in_wake_of_overbilling_probe.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545; min-height: 17.0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #f8fa33;\">Two of Hydro One\u2019s top customer service executives have parted ways with the utility in the wake of ombudsman Andr\u00e9 Marin\u2019s probe of billing practices<\/span>, the Star has learned.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">Sources say Rick Stevens,\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #f8fa33;\">vice-president of customer services<\/span>, retired on Friday\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #f8fa33;\">and customer-service director<\/span> Mark Fukuzawa departed on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\u201cAs a matter of privacy and policy, I am not in a position to comment on specific human resources issues,\u201d said Daffyd Roderick, Hydro One\u2019s corporate communications director.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">According to the\u00a0<a style=\"line-height: 1.22em; text-decoration: underline; color: blue; cursor: pointer;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fin.gov.on.ca\/en\/publications\/salarydisclosure\/pssd\/pdf\/electricity_2012.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Ministry of Finance<\/a>, Stevens made $305,638 and Fukuzawa earned $204,370 in 2012, the most recent year for which salaries are available.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">It is not clear what they will be paid as they leave.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;\"><span style=\"line-height: normal;\"><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><strong>Electricity industry insiders confided that the two executives departure is a result of Marin&#8217;s wide rangeing investigation <\/strong><strong>into the company\u2019s <\/strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #f8fa33;\"><strong>overbilling problems<\/strong><\/span><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">http:\/\/<a style=\"line-height: 1.22em; text-decoration: underline; color: blue; cursor: pointer;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/business\/personal_finance\/2014\/02\/07\/why_hydro_ones_billing_is_under_attack_roseman.html\" target=\"_blank\">www.thestar.com\/business\/personal_finance\/2014\/02\/07\/why_hydro_ones_billing_is_under_attack_roseman.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">The province\u2019s watchdog announced earlier this month he was looking into Hydro One\u2019s\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #f8fa33;\">\u201cegregious errors and baffling bills\u201d<\/span> after being inundated with complaints from customers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\u201cSometimes it\u2019s like wrestling with a slippery pig and that\u2019s why my heart goes out to those average citizens that try to take on the Goliath that is Hydro One,\u201d<a style=\"line-height: 1.22em; text-decoration: underline; color: blue; cursor: pointer;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/canada\/2014\/02\/04\/ontario_ombudsman_to_investigate_hydro_one.html\" target=\"_blank\">Marin<\/a> said on Feb. 4.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #f8fa33;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #ffffff;\">As of Friday afternoon, <\/span>the ombudsman had received 4,381 complaints<\/span>, by far the most on a single government organization in the almost four-decade history of his office.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">The provincially owned utility has blamed a new $153.7-million customer system changeover last May for the mix-ups and has promised to fix the problems.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><a style=\"line-height: 1.22em; text-decoration: underline; color: blue; cursor: pointer;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/queenspark\/2014\/02\/07\/hydro_one_promises_to_fix_billing_fiasco.html\" target=\"_blank\">Refunds<\/a> will be issued where necessary, no customers will be charged interest for any mistake, and\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #f8fa33;\">nobody\u2019s power is being cut off due to billing errors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">With about\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #f8fa33;\">1.3 million customers<\/span>, Hydro One is the province\u2019s largest electricity company.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">Marin has noted that a common complaint from customers is they don\u2019t receive bills for several months and are then walloped with a huge direct withdrawal from their bank accounts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">In a few cases, ratepayers have apparently had to pay $10,000 or $20,000 all at once, sometimes in error.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">But instead of refunding the amount errantly taken, Hydro One issues a credit against future bills.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #f8fa33;\">Another problem is estimated bills<\/span> \u2014\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.22em; background-color: #ff8686;\">as many as 70,000 Hydro customers<\/span> are believed to be waiting to find out what they owe for the power they consumed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">With an election possible this spring, the Hydro One debacle is a potential political headache for Premier Kathleen Wynne\u2019s minority Liberal government.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_text aolmail_combinedtext aolmail_parbase aolmail_section\" style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">It comes after a damning\u00a0<a style=\"line-height: 1.22em; text-decoration: underline; color: blue; cursor: pointer;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/queenspark\/2013\/12\/10\/auditor_generals_report_topheavy_opg_rife_with_nepotism_pays_too_much_in_wages_and_benefits.html\" target=\"_blank\">report<\/a> [see below] in Ontario Power Generation by auditor general Bonnie Lysyk in December led to that utility firing its chief financial officer, its executive vice-president of strategic initiatives, and its internal audit vice-president.<\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.22em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545; min-height: 17.0px;\"><strong>&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px; line-height: 22.0px; font: 22.0px Arial; color: #1e5585;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sensus Smart Meter Deployed In Waterloo Region And North America Not Safe According To Underwriters Laboratories ( Ul)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #405466;\">Published November 4, 2012<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">By Howard Kalnitsky<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/radirid.com\/www\/sensus-smart-meter-deployed-in-waterloo-region-and-around-the-country-not-safe-according-to-ul\/#comment-29\">http:\/\/radirid.com\/www\/sensus-smart-meter-deployed-in-waterloo-region-and-around-the-country-not-safe-according-to-ul\/#comment-29<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">So get this..not only do we have to worry about the radio frequency smog coming off these meters but they have also caused some serious house fires in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">The model that this article is written about can be viewed in the picture below.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">This meter is in wide use throughout North America and the picture below is from my home.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">I will be having this removed asap and hopefully go back to a non wireless model or something that only turns on once per day.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">For electrically sensitive people these meters mess with their health and well being.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">For the rest of the population, you are being exposed needlessly because the utility made a decision to install these without taking into consideration the well being of their customers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">As stated elsewhere on this website, we don\u2019t know the long term effect of exposure to all the e-smog we are being bombarded with.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">But dozens of studies point to an assortment of medical maladies that are already afflicting people worldwide because of incidental exposure.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">So what right does your utility have to impose their business decision on you and by doing that potentially putting you in harms way?<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">You can read about the utility in Philadelphia that is getting rid of the \u00a0wireless Sensus Flexnet 530X.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">This particular meter gained popularity because of its\u2019 ability to put out an extremely strong signal that carries for miles.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">There is no legal requirement for the meter to be wireless in Ontario Canada. I can\u2019t speak for any other jurisdiction as I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">It simply must be a smart meter and capable of sending back information to the utility once per \u00a0day.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545;\">Also the company that makes the Sensus meter is in financial difficulty and looking for a buyer.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #376380;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/articles.philly.com\/2012-10-10\/business\/34343946_1_sensus-meters-sensus-devices-new-generation-meters\">http:\/\/articles.philly.com\/2012-10-10\/business\/34343946_1_sensus-meters-sensus-devices-new-generation-meters<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #376380;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.greentechmedia.com\/articles\/read\/is-sensus-for-sale\">http:\/\/www.greentechmedia.com\/articles\/read\/is-sensus-for-sale<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 14.0px Tahoma; color: #454545; min-height: 17.0px;\"><strong>&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; color: black; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; padding: 10px; margin: 0px; border: initial none initial;\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/toronto.ctv.ca\/servlet\/an\/plocal\/CTVNews\/20110919\/hudak-slams-mandatory-smart-meters-110919\/20110919\/?hub=TorontoNewHome&amp;subhub=PrintStory\"><strong>CTV Toronto coverage<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/toronto\/story\/2011\/09\/19\/ontario-leaders-eastern-ontario549.html\">CBC News coverage<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"popupMain\" style=\"font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 10px;\">\n<h3 style=\"font-weight: bold; text-align: left; color: black; margin-top: 10px;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Hudak pledges to axe mandatory smart meter program<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"storyAttributes\" style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; padding: 0px;\">The Canadian Press<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; padding: 0px;\">TORONTO\u00a0\u2014 Ontario Tory leader Tim Hudak says mandatory smart meters are dumb.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; padding: 0px;\">He says if he&#8217;s elected premier on Oct. 6 he will axe the program that forces seniors to do their laundry in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; padding: 0px;\">Smart meters allow people to shift electricity-consuming chores to off-peak times when power rates are lower.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; padding: 0px;\">But Hudak says too many families are unable to do that, so the system amounts to another tax.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; padding: 0px;\">The Progressive Conservative leader says people who like the idea designed to conserve power can opt in.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; padding: 0px;\">Hudak does not say what power would end up costing if the system is scrapped but says flat-rate metering would continue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"img1\" alt=\"comscorebeacon\" src=\"http:\/\/beacon.scorecardresearch.com\/scripts\/beacon.dll?C1=2&amp;C2=3005664&amp;C3=3005664&amp;C4=http%3A\/\/toronto.ctv.ca\/servlet\/an\/plocal\/CTVNews\/20110919\/hudak-slams-mandatory-smart-meters-110919\/20110919\/%3Fhub%3DTorontoNewHome%26subhub%3DPrintStory&amp;C5=&amp;C6=&amp;C7=http%3A\/\/toronto.ctv.ca\/servlet\/an\/plocal\/CTVNews\/20110919\/hudak-slams-mandatory-smart-meters-110919\/20110919\/%3Fhub%3DTorontoNewHome%26subhub%3DPrintStory&amp;C8=CTV%20Toronto%20-%20Hudak%20pledges%20to%20axe%20mandatory%20smart%20meter%20program%20-%20CTV%20News%2C%20Shows%20and%20Sports%20--%20Canadian%20Television&amp;C9=&amp;rn=66836631\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><strong>Hydro Ottawa threatens to cut mom&#8217;s power<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Woman refuses to have smart meter installed in home<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 11.0px Arial;\">BY <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawasun.com\/author\/aedanhelmer\">AEDAN HELMER<\/a> ,OTTAWA SUN<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 11.0px Arial;\">FIRST POSTED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 11:11 PM EDT<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">The registered letter that landed in Monica Bonnah\u2019s hands on Tuesday was the last straw for the Alta Vista mother of two.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">After two years of polite requests, Hydro Ottawa threatened to cut Bonnah\u2019s power \u2014 she would be on the hook for any reconnection fees \u2014 if she didn\u2019t schedule an appointment to have a smart meter installed in her home within two business days.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">\u201cWhy am I being forced to get a smart meter when I don\u2019t want one, and I\u2019ve been telling them for two years? And don\u2019t tell me you\u2019re going to cut my electricity off. I\u2019ve got two kids here and I pay my bills on time,\u201d said Bonnah. \u201cI hang up my clothes, I do my laundry on the weekends, my lights are off when they\u2019re not in use. I don\u2019t need a smart meter to tell me when to be smart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">David McKendry, Hydro Ottawa\u2019s director of customer service, said the power authority has been responding to a provincial initiative by installing more than 300,000 smart meters in the city \u2014 representing 99.8% of their customer base \u2014 accompanied by an extensive communication campaign.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">\u201cDisconnection is absolutely the last recourse we have in any customer interaction,\u201d said McKendry, adding most customers with smart meters have noticed little change in their bottom line.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">Count Bonnah as one holdout among the remaining 0.2%.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">\u201cI really feel sorry for the people who are on limited incomes who have to get up in the middle of the night to do their laundry to save money,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve also read a lot about how having these waves in your house may be a health risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">Bonita Poulin, Canadian co-ordinator of an awareness campaign around chemical sensitivity affecting civilians and military personnel, said, \u201cCanadians have to allow ourselves to be poisoned because that is what our government says.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">But McKendry said the radio frequency fields emitted by the meters are well below the safety threshold allowed by Health Canada.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">\u201cBiomedical studies in Canada and elsewhere indicate no scientific or medical evidence that a person will experience adverse health effects from exposure to (safe levels of) radio frequency fields,\u201d said McKendry.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">Still, Bonnah may be buoyed to see the issue raised on the campaign trail, with Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak pledging to \u201cunplug\u201d the mandatory meters.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\">\u201cThis isn\u2019t just an election issue,\u201d said Bonnah. \u201cThis is my issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawasun.com\/2011\/09\/15\/hydro-ottawa-threatens-to-cut-moms-power\">http:\/\/www.ottawasun.com\/2011\/09\/15\/hydro-ottawa-threatens-to-cut-moms-power<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2>Hudak will unplug smart meters, Chudleigh says<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"td-EndPageBody\">Aug 17, 2011<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Driving the message that a Progressive Conservative government would reduce home energy bills, Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh said the Smart meter would go with his party in power.<\/p>\n<p>Chudleigh and Oakville PC candidate Larry Scott stopped outside the Oakville Beaver office to chat with reporters.<\/p>\n<p>Calling the time-of-use Smart meters nothing more than a tax grab for the government, Chudleigh said Conservative party leader Tim Hudak will unplug the devices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Tim Hudak, PC party government will unplug Dalton McGuinty\u2019s mandatory time-of-use Smart meters. We\u2019re the only party willing to take a stand for Ontario families who are sick and tired of being told what to do and when to do it,\u201d Chudleigh said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c(People) tell us they can no longer afford Dalton McGuinty\u2019s expensive energy experiments. In fact, the Canadian Manufacturers &amp; Exporters estimates the average Ontario household hydro bills will increase by a staggering $732 a year by 2015, representing another huge bite taken out of the family budget.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, he said Ontario families are on the hook to pay $1 billion to install the Smart meters on every home and small business, at $200 per household.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the introduction of Smart meters, energy consumption has not gone down, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInstead (the Liberals) did something really amazing,\u201d Chudleigh said. \u201cThey broke the law of supply and demand. McGuinty\u2019s scheme raised the price of electricity for almost all Ontarians without promoting conservation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chudleigh also talked about non-traditional power sources introduced in recent years in Ontario, including solar power.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCertainly we want to be as ecologically sensitive as we can be,\u201d he said. \u201cSolar energy is an experimental form of energy, in my opinion, at this time. We can\u2019t possibly pay 80 cents a kilowatt-hour for something that we\u2019re selling for 6.8 cents a kilowatt-hour. It just doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added when the price can go down from 80 cents to somewhere between 20-30 cents it may be a viable option.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not anti-environmental,\u201d added Scott. \u201cWe just think it should make sense. You should price it in properly, you should make sure you\u2019ve got the kind of competition, which drives the price to its lowest level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Among the examples of non-competitive, improperly priced deals, Scott mentioned the Samsung energy deal that will cost $1 billion per year.<\/p>\n<p>Chudleigh said a PC government would return the province to affordable energy sources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur plan is to maximize hydro use, the use of water, gas powered and nuclear \u2013 traditional and proven sources of power that aren\u2019t an experiment and they are cost effective,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Acknowledging that nuclear power will take time to implement, Chudleigh said there is an excess of power for the moment. Because Ontario has seen a reduction of manufacturing jobs, electric consumption has not reached the summer peak since 2004 and winter peak since 2006.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe do have a sleeve of power for the foreseeable future. That\u2019s maybe a five year horizon,\u201d he said. \u201cCertainly a nuclear plant is going to take 12 to 15 years to build, and until that time, our emphasis will be on gas and water-powered electricity. There\u2019s about 3,000 megawatts estimated of hydropower left to develop. Some emphasis on that is a good direction to send Ontario in. That\u2019s the cleanest and most renewable of forms of creating electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The provincial election will take place on Thursday, Oct. 6.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.insidehalton.com\/news\/article\/1058529--hudak-will-unplug-smart-meters-chudleigh-says\">http:\/\/www.insidehalton.com\/news\/article\/1058529&#8211;hudak-will-unplug-smart-meters-chudleigh-says<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h1 style=\"font-size: 2em;\">Hudak keys in on &#8220;tax machines&#8221;: smart meters<\/h1>\n<h2>PC leader visits home of Scarborough couple<\/h2>\n<p>by Danielle Milley\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 August 17, 2011<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"td-EndPageBody\">Though the government has already spent nearly $1 billion installing them, Tim Hudak wants to unplug the province&#8217;s smart meters.The leader of the Progressive Conservative party was in Scarborough Tuesday morning to announce &#8211; if his party wins on Oct. 6 &#8211; it will end mandatory time-of-use pricing that goes along with the smart meters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Time-of-use smart meters have become nothing more than tax machines&#8230;Sadly, the Velummailum&#8217;s story is one I&#8217;m hearing not only in Scarborough, but right across Ontario,&#8221; Hudak said.<\/p>\n<p>He made the announcement at the home of Ruthiran and Sakuntha Velummailum, small business owners who have seen both their business and residential electricity bills rise since the smart meters were installed and time-of-use rates introduced.<\/p>\n<p>Smart meters are able to measure electricity usage hourly so that allows electricity providers (such as Toronto Hydro) to charge different rates depending on the time of day the electricity is used. When electricity demand is at its highest (peak), rates cost the most and the least in off-peak times such as weekends. Power generated during peak times is also usually the most environmentally damaging.<\/p>\n<p>This means people are being asked to do laundry or run the dishwasher only on weekends or at night if they want to pay the lowest rate (Toronto Hydro recently lowered the evening start time for the lowest rate from 9 p.m. to 7 p.m.).<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We normally do the laundry in the night time and on Saturday and Sunday,&#8221; said Sakuntha. &#8220;We turn the lights off and we still get higher bills.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Velummailums said their residential bills have gone up by $100 a month.<\/p>\n<p>Hudak said he wants to give people the choice to opt into time-of-use rates if they want to, but not make it mandatory.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This summer when the heat has gone up well into the 30s families were sweltering for fear of putting on the air conditioning during the day,&#8221; Hudak said. &#8220;I believe there is a better way. There is one expert who knows best how to run your home and that&#8217;s you&#8230;I just don&#8217;t believe it&#8217;s the role of the premier to lecture my mom to get up in the middle of the night to do her laundry.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Velummailums said they would be voting for local PC candidate Mike Chopowick, running in Scarborough Southwest, this time around. They voted Liberal in 2007.<\/p>\n<p>Hudak also pledged to remove the HST and debt retirement charge from home hydro bills.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size: 13px;\">http:\/\/<a style=\"color: blue; text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.insidetoronto.com\/news\/local\/article\/1058465--hudak-keys-in-on-tax-machines-smart-meters\" target=\"_blank\">www.insidetoronto.com\/news\/local\/article\/1058465&#8211;hudak-keys-in-on-tax-machines-smart-meters<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ontario PCs Call for Wasteful OPA Bureaucracy to be Scrapped<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">by Richard Wakefield<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">QUEEN&#8217;S PARK-Today, Ontario PC Deputy Leader Christine Elliott called on Dalton McGuinty to scrap the wasteful and bloated bureaucracy known as the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), whose ballooning budget and expenses are contributing to Ontario families&#8217; skyrocketing hydro bills.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Originally conceived as a &#8220;virtual&#8221; and &#8220;transitional&#8221; agency, the OPA has expanded from 15 employees when it was created in 2005 to over 300 employees today. OPA expenses have <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">exploded by a staggering 465%<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. The number of OPA salaries over $100,000 has grown from six in 2005 to 75 including former Dalton McGuinty spokesperson Ben Chin who made $185,000 at OPA last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Longtime Liberals Patrick Monaghan, Lyn McLeod, and Adele Hurley are also on the OPA Board.While Dalton McGuinty rewards his friends at the OPA, Ontario families are seeing their hydro bills skyrocket. Hydro rates have already gone up 75 percent under Dalton McGuinty, over 100 percent if you have <\/span><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">smart meter tax machine<\/span><\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. What&#8217;s worse, family hydro bills are expected to<\/span><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">increase another 46 percent over the next few years<\/span><\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, according to Dalton McGuinty&#8217;s own low-ball estimate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">QUOTES:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Six years ago, Dalton McGuinty created the Ontario Power Authority saying it was a transitional agency and promising it would produce a long-term energy plan. But all he has to show after six years are skyrocketing hydro bills and a record of backtracking from the offshore wind experiment and screwed up microFIT experiment the OPA produced for him.&#8221;&#8211; Christine Elliott, Deputy Ontario PC Leader<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;When the Ontario Power Authority is not wasting money, it is busy finding ways to make life miserable for Ontario families. It&#8217;s time to scrap the OPA bureaucracy and once and for all put families first.&#8221;&#8211; John Yakabuski, Ontario PC Energy Critic<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">QUICK FACTS:\u00b7 The &#8220;virtual&#8221; and &#8220;transitional&#8221; OPA bureaucracy has expanded from 15 employees when it was created in 2005 to over 300 employees today.\u00b7<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">OPA expenses have grown over that time from <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">$14.1 million to $79.7 million &#8211; an increase of 465%.\u00b7<br \/>\n<\/span> <\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\nThe number of six figure salaries at the OPA has skyrocketed from six to 75 &#8211; a staggering increase of 1,250%.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/h1ripoff.blogspot.com\/2011\/03\/ontario-pcs-call-for-wasteful-opa.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/h1ripoff.blogspot.com\/2011\/03\/ontario-pcs-call-for-wasteful-opa.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ontariopc.com\/news-releases\/tim-hudak-and-ontario-pcs-call-to-scrap-dalton-mcguinty\u2019s-bloated-energy-bureaucracy\/\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.ontariopc.com\/news-releases\/tim-hudak-and-ontario-pcs-call-to-scrap-dalton-mcguinty\u2019s-bloated-energy-bureaucracy\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"TREES_STRATFORD_WIDE\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/TREES_STRATFORD_WIDE.jpg\" width=\"791\" height=\"360\" \/><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ontario Smart Meters making people feel sick<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">OCTOBER \u00a02010 \u00a0Stratford <\/span><a title=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?p=1271\" href=\"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?p=1271\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?p=1271<\/span><\/a><a title=\"http:\/\/martin-weatherall.ca\/Hidden-EMR-dangers-in-Stratford.html\" href=\"http:\/\/martin-weatherall.ca\/Hidden-EMR-dangers-in-Stratford.html\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/martin-weatherall.ca\/Hidden-EMR-dangers-in-Stratford.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Smart Meters &#8211; They\u2019re Smart, But Are They Safe?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">NOVEMBER 8 \u00a02010 <\/span><a title=\"http:\/\/www.publicnewsservice.org\/index.php?\/content\/article\/16846-1\" href=\"http:\/\/www.publicnewsservice.org\/index.php?\/content\/article\/16846-1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.publicnewsservice.org\/index.php?\/content\/article\/16846-1<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Stratford Ontario, Smart City &#8211;\u00a0One of the First (MESH NETWORKS) in the World says Motorola<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a title=\"http:\/\/www.motorola.com\/web\/Business\/_Documents\/Case%20studies\/_Static%20files\/Stratford%20CS%20FINAL.pdf\" href=\"http:\/\/www.motorola.com\/web\/Business\/_Documents\/Case%20studies\/_Static%20files\/Stratford%20CS%20FINAL.pdf\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.motorola.com\/web\/Business\/_Documents\/Case%20studies\/_Static%20files\/Stratford%20CS%20FINAL.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cStratford is one of the first communities in the world to deploy a metering platform enabled by wireless broadband.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Paul West,\u00a0Business development manager, \u00a0\u00a0Rhyzome Networks<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: normal;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/canada\/ottawa\/story\/2010\/09\/15\/ontario-electricity.html\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/canada\/ottawa\/story\/2010\/09\/15\/ontario-electricity.html<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">End smart meter hydro program: Ont. opposition<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Wednesday, September 15, 2010<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ontario&#8217;s smart meter program needs to be <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">scrapped<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, the opposition demanded Wednesday after Premier Dalton McGuinty refused to rule out a price increase for electricity during peak demand hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">After saying Tuesday that off-peak electricity rates should be lowered to convince people to change their habits to take advantage of time-of-use pricing, McGuinty wouldn&#8217;t say Wednesday if that could mean a rise in rates at peak demand times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to get into that because I&#8217;m not the expert, but what I can say is that we&#8217;ve got to make sure the differential between peak and off-peak is significant, so significant that it motivates people,&#8221; said McGuinty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to make sure people understand the opportunities there, the options available to them.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The New Democrats said McGuinty&#8217;s comments have them worried about an increase in the peak rate for hydro, which is already nearly double what Ontario residents used to pay for power 24 hours a day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;It&#8217;s quite disconcerting that the premier dodged that question,&#8221; said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;I really don&#8217;t want to see the government making more decisions that make life less affordable for folks.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8216;People deserve a choice&#8217;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Opposition accused McGuinty of forcing people to dramatically alter their behaviour in order to get the lowest electricity rates, and said consumers should be able to opt out of the smart meter program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Who&#8217;s looking out for the senior citizen who is being lectured by Dalton McGuinty to do her laundry at two in the morning? Who&#8217;s looking out for the family with multiple kids who&#8217;s being told by Dalton McGuinty to get them showered and ready for school at five or six in the morning?&#8221; asked Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;I think people deserve a choice whether they want to engage in using smart meters or not.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The government has spent about <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">$1.5 billion to install 4.1 million smart meters in homes<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, with a goal of 4.4 million, but the cost of the meters is added to electricity bills, which were already on the rise because of the HST and green energy charges.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A survey by Toronto Hydro showed about <\/span><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">80 per cent of people using smart meters are seeing increases, not decreases<\/span><\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> on their bills.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hudak said the program should be halted immediately because it&#8217;s not helping lower hydro bills or convincing consumers to switch their heavy electricity use to late at night.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Dalton McGuinty&#8217;s smart meters have been nothing but a tax machine to take more money out of people&#8217;s pockets,&#8221; he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;This project has gone dangerously off the rails.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hudak&#8217;s plan &#8220;would return Ontario to the days of weak, unreliable and dirty power,&#8221; said Energy Minister Brad Duguid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;That&#8217;s the way the system was that we inherited from him, when he was in [the PC] cabinet, and that&#8217;s why we&#8217;ve worked so hard over the last six years to &#8230; build up our system so we&#8217;ve got the power and reliability in it that Ontario families can count on.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The smart meters will help consumers keep a lid on rising hydro bills, but won&#8217;t mean lower electricity bills.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Smart meters are one factor that will help consumers mitigate some of the increases, but smart meters are not meant to be the panacea that&#8217;s going to provide consumers with the ability to completely avoid all potential increases down the road,&#8221; added Duguid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Read more: <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/canada\/ottawa\/story\/2010\/09\/15\/ontario-electricity.html#ixzz1A0viIvBF\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/canada\/ottawa\/story\/2010\/09\/15\/ontario-electricity.html#ixzz1A0viIvBF<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a title=\"http:\/\/www.cupe.on.ca\/doc.php?document_id=247&amp;lang=en\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cupe.on.ca\/doc.php?document_id=247&amp;lang=en\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.cupe.on.ca<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">CUPE : Ontario should get smart, follow Hydro Quebec decision to abandon time-of-use meters, electricity coalition says<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">December 12, 2007<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">TORONTO \u2014 The Ontario government would be doing consumers a favour if it were to follow the example of Hydro Quebec and abandon its plan to install so-called smart meters in all homes in the province, says the Ontario Electricity Coalition.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.metering.com\/node\/18695\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.metering.com\/node\/18695<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ontario Energy Board issued directive on smart grid development<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Toronto, ON, Canada &#8212; (METERING.COM) &#8212; November 26, 2010 &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ontario\u2019s minister of energy has issued a directive to the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) to provide guidance to licensed distributors and transmitters in relation to activities in support of establishing and implementing a smart grid in the province.\u00a0In particular guidance is requested on the preparation of plans for the development and implementation of a smart grid, and the criteria that the Board will use to evaluate smart grid plans.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Smart meter use on hold for most of Windsor-Essex (Ontario)<\/span><\/h2>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tuesday, November 23, 2010 | 1:46 PM ET\u00a0CBC News<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/canada\/windsor\/story\/2010\/11\/23\/wdr-hydro-time-of-use.html#ixzz17L0qhEO8\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/canada\/windsor\/story\/2010\/11\/23\/wdr-hydro-time-of-use.html#ixzz17L0qhEO8<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ontario&#8217;s Power Trip : Is this &#8216;smart&#8217; ?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While Ontario\u2019s electricity infrastructure deteriorates, the province is spending billions on smart meters. <\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/opinion.financialpost.com\/2010\/07\/06\/ontarios-power-trip-is-this-smart\/\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/opinion.financialpost.com\/2010\/07\/06\/ontarios-power-trip-is-this-smart\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For More information in Ontario<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/weepnews.blogspot.com\/search\/label\/smart%20meters\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_TCHhDM_iLbU\/TJNvPeQCZ9I\/AAAAAAAAAUE\/h6CDBa1DVPI\/S860-R\/news+blog+head.jpg\" width=\"714\" height=\"133\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/weepnews.blogspot.com\/search\/label\/smart%20meters\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">weepnews.blogspot.com\/search\/label\/<\/span><\/a><\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/weepnews.blogspot.com\/search\/label\/smart%20meters\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart%20meters<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/martinwea\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.youtube.com\/user\/martinwea<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 1.17em; line-height: 1.5em;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ottawa taps Itron for 210,000 smart water meters<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">By <\/span><a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Andrew Nusca<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> | April 29, 2011, 7:18 AM PDT<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">City of Ottawa<\/span><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/itron.com\/newsAndEvents\/Pages\/City-of-Ottawa-Selects-Itron-Smart-Metering-Solution.aspx\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">has chosen<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> smart grid firm <\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/itron.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Itron<\/span><\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> to deploy smart water meters and related infrastructure in town.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The fourth largest city in Canada, Ottawa is using the deployment as part of <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawa.ca\/residents\/water\/advanced_metering\/index_en.html\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">a greater Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI, scheme<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> that hopes to help its local utility eliminate estimated billing for customers and improve efficiency in water service operations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The contract involves 210,000 smart water modules, fixed network two-way communications infrastructure, the software that runs it, a meter data management system and the usual turnkey bundle of services: installation, project management, training and support.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">new smart modules will be retrofitted onto existing water meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, Itron says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The intelligence of the new system will allow city officials to collect time-synchronized meter data in daily or hourly increments. It will give service representatives access to real-time information when responding to billing inquiries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The networked nature of the system also allows city officials to monitor for leaks and their locations, as well as gain insights into city-wide usage patterns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The deployment of the overall smart metering system began in January 2011; it\u2019s expected to take two years to complete.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.smartplanet.com\/blog\/smart-takes\/ottawa-taps-itron-for-210000-smart-water-meters\/15952<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">https:\/\/itron.com\/newsAndEvents\/Pages\/City-of-Ottawa-Selects-Itron-Smart-Metering-Solution.aspx<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hudak attacks smart meter plan<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">By JONATHAN JENKINS, QMI AGENCY<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">TORONTO &#8212; Local power distribution companies are balking at installing smart meters across the province, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;PowerStream, the secondlargest hydro company in Ontario, has written to the Ontario Energy Board,&#8221; Hudak said. &#8220;They&#8217;re asking for this experiment to be postponed because they say they&#8217;re worried about the impact of potential bill increases on their customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Premier, if you won&#8217;t listen to me, will you listen to the secondlargest utility in the province that&#8217;s saying, &#8216;No&#8217; to your smart meter tax machines?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Premier Dalton McGuinty has been pushing smart meters to be installed in every Ontario home and business, replacing mechanical meters. The new devices allow for time-of-use pricing, where peak periods of power use cost more and off-peak cost less, which the government hopes will even out consumption.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hudak has promised he would give families a choice between time-of-use pricing and the old system of tiered-use pricing, where the cost goes up depending on how much power is used in a month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">McGuinty defended the meters, two million of which have been installed across the province so far.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;They are being used today in B.C., Quebec, the U.S., Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland,&#8221; McGuinty said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;I could go on, but the fact of the matter is, we&#8217;re moving ahead to put in place a progressive, intelligent, affordable, reliable, clean electricity system that is creating jobs.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Eric Fagen, spokesman for PowerStream, said the company has asked the OEB for more time to install smart meters for its 26,000 business users, in order to make better use of conservation programs that are coming online.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But the company has faith in the technology and believes it will benefit consumers, Fagen said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Smart meters will form the backbone of the smart grid,&#8221; he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;The difference between the old mechanical meter and the smart meter is similar to the difference between a rotary phone and smartphone.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:jonathan.jenkins@sunmedia.ca\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">jonathan.jenkins@sunmedia.ca<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thesudburystar.com\/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3110166\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.thesudburystar.com\/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3110166<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"_mcePaste\">\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hudak hammers McGuinty &#8216;tax grab&#8217; smart meters<\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"_mcePaste\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">By PATRICK MALONEY, QMI Agency<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"_mcePaste\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">LONDON, Ont. &#8211; Tim Hudak continued his election-year assault on Dalton McGuinty&#8217;s energy plans during a Wednesday stop in London, Ont., slamming mandatory smart meters as a $1-billion &#8220;tax grab&#8221; he&#8217;d scrap if elected.Making it clear where he&#8217;s focusing his message &#8212; in a four-minute speech outside a transformer station, he mentioned &#8220;families&#8221; 11 times &#8212; Hudak repeated his plan to make the meters optional for homeowners.&#8221;These time-of-use, mandatory smart meters are nothing more than another tax grab on the hydro bill,&#8221; Hudak said.&#8221;A Progressive Conservative government would unplug the mandatory smart meters and give families a choice that works for them.&#8221;The smart meter implementation costs have already passed $1 billion, Hudak said.The Tory leader has said previously he&#8217;d allow Ontarians to choose between the meters &#8212; which charge higher electricity rates during weekdays than at night and on weekends &#8212; or paying a flat rate.London Hydro has installed smart meters at most London homes and the time-of-use rates &#8212; for example, it&#8217;ll cost less during the &#8220;off-peak hours&#8221; (after 7 p.m.) &#8212; will take effect in June.Hudak coupled his criticism of the smart meters with critiques of the McGuinty Liberals&#8217; plans for industrial wind farms and the overcharging of some customers by Ontario Hydro.With the provincial government not in session this week and about 200 days to go before the Oct. 6 election, Hudak has been on a Southwestern Ontario swing &#8212; St. Thomas, Ont., and Chatham, Ont., on Tuesday, followed by London, Ont., and Kitchener, Ont.Wednesday, he was flanked in London by one Tory caucus veteran and a newcomer to the party fold: Ernie Hardeman, the long-time Oxford MPP who will seek re-election this fall, and ex-city councillor Cheryl Miller, who will challenge London-Fanshawe Liberal MPP Khalil Ramal.Absent, though, was another high-profile local Tory candidate &#8212; city councillor Nancy Branscombe, who couldn&#8217;t attend due to a pre-arranged family commitment.But her presence under the Tory banner, alongside Miller, remains an interesting political development.Only a few months ago, the two were essentially on opposing sides of London&#8217;s mayoral race, with Miller helping run Joe Fontana&#8217;s successful campaign and Branscombe an at-times-vocal supporter of incumbent Anne Marie DeCicco-Best.Miller, for one, says that&#8217;s water under the political bridge.&#8221;(Our relationship) meshes fine because part of good legislation is not black and white, it&#8217;s shades of grey,&#8221; Miller said, adding she and Branscombe have met since both secured Tory nominations.&#8221;The (civic) election&#8217;s over. It was over in October, you move on. I never dwell on stuff. Nancy and I will work well together because philosophically we want what&#8217;s best for London.&#8221;Ali Chahbar, son of a former city councillor, has announced his interest in the Tories&#8217; London West nomination.patrick.maloney@sunmedia.catwitter.com\/patatLFPress<\/span><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/cnews.canoe.ca\/CNEWS\/Politics\/2011\/03\/16\/17643851.html\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/cnews.canoe.ca\/CNEWS\/Politics\/2011\/03\/16\/17643851.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"font-family: arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/comment\/editorial\/2010\/09\/17\/15392101.html<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Dalton McGuinty&#8217;s shocking admission: Editorial<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 11.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">TORONTO SUN<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 21.0px; font: 11.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2010 7:09:18 EDT PM<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Premier Dalton McGuinty, having launched Ontario on a billion-dollar smart meter experiment, now admits the electricity pricing scheme that&#8217;s supposed to make it all work, isn&#8217;t.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Terrific! Now he tells us. Couldn&#8217;t his experts have figured this out before he started installing smart meters all over the province?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Worse, McGuinty&#8217;s government has been sending out conflicting signals on whether smart meters are even supposed to save us money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Right now, most hydro customers who have smart meters &#8211; and we&#8217;re all getting them eventually &#8211; are seeing their bills rise. And that&#8217;s just because of the meters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It doesn&#8217;t include all the other rate increases because of such things as McGuinty&#8217;s Green Energy Act and his 8% tax hike on electricity, as of July 1, due to the HST.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">McGuinty says the problem with the smart meters is the cheaper, off-peak rate of 5.3\u00a2 per kwh, to encourage people to do things like laundry and dish-washing between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays, or at any time on weekends and statutory holidays, isn&#8217;t enough of an incentive to change old habits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For that reason, he said, he might lower off-peak rates to provide a greater price differential, compared to the mid-peak rate of 8\u00a2 per kwh and on-peak rate of 9.9\u00a2 per kwh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But under opposition questioning in the Legislature, McGuinty wouldn&#8217;t rule out raising mid-peak and on-peak rates to increase the differential from off-peak.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Besides, the smart meter pricing system is so confusing it&#8217;s no wonder few consumers who have them are changing their habits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While the times for off-peak rates are constant throughout the year, mid-peak and on-peak occur at different times during the winter and summer months, causing further confusion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In &#8220;summer&#8221; &#8211; defined as May 1 to Oct. 31 &#8211; mid-peak rates apply from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, while on-peak rates apply from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But in &#8220;winter&#8221; &#8211; defined as Nov. 1 to April 30 &#8211; the charges reverse, with on-peak rates applied from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., while mid-peak occurs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Good luck keeping track of all that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Plus, there&#8217;s so little difference between the mid-peak and on-peak rates &#8211; 8\u00a2 versus 9.9\u00a2 per kwh &#8211; it&#8217;s hard to see many customers changing their electricity use patterns because of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Finally, despite the premier&#8217;s insistence smart meters can save people money if consumers take advantage of them, an aide to former interim energy minister Gerry Phillips told the Sun earlier this year &#8220;smart meters are more about creating awareness of energy use, rather than helping people save money.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Great. So which is it, premier?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">And why do you appear to be making up your policies on electricity pricing on the fly?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: arial, sans-serif;\"><span class=\"a\" style=\"color: green;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: arial, sans-serif;\"><span class=\"a\" style=\"color: green;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Wireless Water Meters in Toronto<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"a\" style=\"color: green;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/torontowatermeterprogram.ca\/component\/content\/article\/10\/41-homeowners-with-water-meters\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/torontowatermeterprogram.ca\/component\/content\/article\/10\/41-homeowners-with-water-meters<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"a\" style=\"color: green;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\">\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.therecord.com\/news\/local\/article\/545606--the-smart-meter-program-is-kicking-into-place\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/www.therecord.com\/news\/local\/article\/545606&#8211;the-smart-meter-program-is-kicking-into-place<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The smart meter program is kicking into place<\/span><\/h2>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px; float: right; width: 400px; line-height: normal; font-size: 12px; color: #333333; padding: 0px;\">\n<div class=\"td_page_media\" style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 20px; float: right; width: 400px; padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #cccccc;\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"vertical-align: top; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: initial none initial;\" alt=\" Jeff Bartels stands next to his hydro meter at his Kitchener home, Thursday. Bartels is upset with the new time-sensitive rates that started Thursday.\" src=\"http:\/\/media.mmgdailies.topscms.com\/images\/34\/2c\/392762414cf196a0458c30e0912e.jpeg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-EndPageImageInfo\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 8px; margin: 0px;\">\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Smart meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Jeff Bartels stands next to his hydro meter at his Kitchener home, Thursday. Bartels is upset with the new time-sensitive rates that started Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"credit\" style=\"display: inline-block; text-align: right; font-style: italic; float: right; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Mathew McCarthy\/The Record<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_page_body\" style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 50px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #333333; padding: 0px;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">WATERLOO REGION \u2014 Jeff Bartels is worried about increasing costs for electricity as local utilities start charging customers different prices at different times of day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Bartels, who lives on Sydney Street South in Kitchener, came home from work on Wednesday to find a letter from Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As of midnight that night, Bartels and his neighbours were switched to time-of-use billing that will see rates increase or fall, depending on the time of day the electricity is used.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Smart meters have now been installed in most homes in the province and local utilities are now starting to use the technology to change prices for electricity according to the demand. When demand is high the price is high. When demand is low the price is low.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI was not too pleased about it,\u201d Bartels said. \u201cI am a single father of two young children and I am not in agreement with this to begin with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Smart meters send wireless messages to nearby towers about how much electricity is being used, and more importantly, at what time of the day or night.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro started switching over customers at the beginning of June and everyone will be on time-of-use billing by early August. Waterloo-North Hydro started in May and should have everyone on the new system by late August. Cambridge-North Dumfries Hydro plans to begin the switch in November and finish four months later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The provincial government implemented smart meters and time-of-use billing in an effort to lower electricity use during times of high demand and encourage conservation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Simply put, under the new system you will pay a lot more for electricity during times of peak demand. If you can use dishwashers, air conditioners, dryers, washing machines and showers during times of low demand you should not have higher bills and may actually save some money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Bartels said he now pays 6.4 cents per kilowatt hour.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Under the new pricing the cost actually drops during off-peak hours \u2014 after 7 p.m. and before 7 a.m.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Bartels said that doesn\u2019t help him much because he uses electricity during the day when prices are highest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI have two young children, my day is seven to seven,\u201d Bartels said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On top of the new prices, Bartels is really miffed about getting such short notice of the changes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cMany people are on fixed incomes on this street, and I am a single father of two young children, I don\u2019t know how bad this is going to hurt me two months down the road,\u201d Bartels said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cIt seems like we are the ones getting nailed first, and I hate to say it, there are other people in the world who can afford this a little easier than the people on this street,\u201d Bartels said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Jerry Van Ooteghem, the head of Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro, said the notices were mailed out more than two weeks ago and it\u2019s unfortunate Bartels did not receive it sooner.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On June 2, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro began switching some of the 86,000 customers affected to the new-pricing system. As meters are read customers are put on time-of-use billing at a rate of about 2,000 per day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Van Ooteghem said the utility trained its call centre staff to answer the most frequently-asked questions about the new prices and how customers can reduce electricity use when prices are highest. As expected, the utility is fielding calls from customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cIt\u2019s a bit of an education thing,\u201d Van Oogteghem said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On a monthly basis, electricity will be at its lowest price for 64 per cent of the hours. The medium and highest prices each account for 18 per cent of the remaining hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cIf you have something that is on 24-7 like your refrigerator, 64 per cent of the hours that it is running will be at the off-peak rate in a month, which is actually a lower rate than they are paying now,\u201d Van Oogteghem said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Under the current system, as demand for electricity goes up during the day the province has to buy more expensive forms of electricity. The new rates are set to more closely reflect the cost of meeting demand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWhat we are really trying to tell people is \u2014 turn things off basically, conserve,\u201d Van Ooteghem said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Televisions, computers and radios should be put on power bars because they use electricity even when they are turned off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">John Janzen, spokesperson for Waterloo-North Hydro, said the switch started for the 50,000 customers on May 9. The first ones to be switched to time-of-use pricing will not see a bill for the new system until July 20th or so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cSo far we haven\u2019t received a lot of reaction yet because no customers have received a time-of-use bill yet,\u201d Janzen said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Barb Shortreed, spokesperson for Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro, said about 45,000 smart meters were installed last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Shortreed said advance notice will be given along with information on how to take advantage of the new pricing to save money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThey need lead time to practise actually, changing how they use their electricity,\u201d Shortreed said. \u201cWe want to help our customers take advantage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The smart meters and the towers that collect the data cost a lot of money and customers will pay about $2 a month on their bills to pay for the new infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">John Milloy, Kitchener-Centre MPP, said for decades no provincial government upgraded the systems for producing and distributing electricity. Time-of-use pricing more closely reflects the cost of the electricity and consumers can benefit from lower prices by changing their habits slightly, Milloy said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cOver all it is a way for people to have more control over their energy use and their energy bills,\u201d Milloy said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In recognition of the increasing cost of electricity in recent years the government brought in a 10 per cent reduction last fall, Milloy said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWe recognize some of the pressures people have been under,\u201d Milloy said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><a style=\"text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\" href=\"mailto:tpender@therecord.com\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">tpender@therecord.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Time-of-use pricing:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">From May 1 to Oct. 31<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">7am-11am: 8.9 cents per kilowatt hour.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">11am-5pm: 10.7<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">5pm-7pm: 8.9<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">7pm-7am: 5.9<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">7am Saturday to 7am Monday: 5.9<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">From Nov. 1 to April 30<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">7am-11am: 10.7 cents per kilowatt hour<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">11am-5pm: 8.9<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">5pm-7pm: 10.7<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">7pm-7am: 5.9<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">7 am Saturday to 7am Monday: 5.9<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Source: Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <\/em><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"headLine\" style=\"font-size: 25px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Opposition says smart hydro meters cost consumers more<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"storyAttributes\" style=\"font-size: 11px; margin: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Canadian Press<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"timeStamp\" style=\"font-size: 11px; padding-bottom: 10px !important; margin: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Date:<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Monday Mar. 7, 2011 6:50 PM ET<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"mainBody\">\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">TORONTO\u00a0\u2014 There&#8217;s no doubt the Ontario government&#8217;s $1-billion smart meter program for electricity is costing consumers more instead of saving them money, the opposition parties charged Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">About 4.5 million smart meters have been installed in homes and small businesses to switch them to time-of-use pricing for electricity and away from the old, two-tiered system based only on total usage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Data from utilities in Bowmanville and Toronto show most customers with smart meters are paying more, while only a small number are seeing decreases, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;There&#8217;s more people paying more than there are saving,&#8221; said Horwath.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Here we have a system that&#8217;s costing us $1 billion and people aren&#8217;t getting the benefit in cost savings and they&#8217;re not getting the benefit in conservation. It&#8217;s a complete failure.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Toronto Hydro figures show 80 per cent of customers had increases averaging $1.50 a month, while 20 per cent had decreases averaging $3.70 a month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Figures from Bowmanville, east of Toronto, show 57 per cent of residential customers paid more for electricity than they would have paid on the old two-tiered pricing system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The giant transmission utility Hydro One, which is also a local distribution company for about one million customers, also found 57 per cent of customers were paying more with smart meters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The figures are preliminary, cautioned Energy Minister Brad Duguid, because no one has been using smart meters for a full year yet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;On average, consumers are saving modestly, and I would use the word modestly,&#8221; said Duguid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;But there are more that would be paying a little bit more and there are less that would be paying significantly less, if you know what I mean. It&#8217;s a little complicated.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak literally laughed out loud when asked if smart meters were saving anyone money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t think anybody actually believes the premier or his energy minister when they say that these smart meter tax machines are saving anybody money,&#8221; said Hudak.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Everybody I talk to (says) their bills are going through the roof, and the smart meters are making them worse.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hudak has promised a Conservative government would allow people to revert to two-tiered pricing and away from time-of-use so they aren&#8217;t forced to do dishes and laundry late at night.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t think the premier should be dictating to families to have all the kids showered, fed and ready for school by 7 a.m. when the higher rates kick in,&#8221; said Hudak.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;We&#8217;re going to unplug the mandatory smart meters and give families a choice.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Going backwards and unplugging the smart meters is not an option, said Duguid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;We&#8217;re moving toward time-of-use so that we can help Ontario consumers manage their energy costs and understand that there are different costs to energy, to the system, depending on when you use energy,&#8221; he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;It&#8217;s very important &#8230; that consumers are fully aware of the costs of energy, on-peak and off-peak.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Horwath called the smart meters &#8220;cruel and unusual punishment,&#8221; but said the NDP hasn&#8217;t yet decided if it would go as far as Hudak and agree to let consumers opt out and return to the old pricing plan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;We definitely think it&#8217;s a program that is not going to get the results we need to get,&#8221; said Horwath.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;We&#8217;d like to see much more investment in conservation.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Duguid insisted the smart meters would result in big savings over time, and said they were needed to upgrade Ontario&#8217;s power system to deal with everything from electric cars to smart appliances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;That $1 billion will accrue $1.6 billion in savings over 15 years,&#8221; Duguid told the legislature. &#8220;You have to invest in modernizing our energy system if you&#8217;re going to get access to those savings.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">http:\/\/swo.ctv.ca\/servlet\/an\/local\/CTVNews\/20110307\/smart-meters-cost-110307\/20110307\/?hub=SWOHome<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.chathamthisweek.com\/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&amp;e=1927175\">http:\/\/www.chathamthisweek.com\/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&amp;e=1927175<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"npHeadline\" style=\"font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Smart meters becoming a big problem<\/span><\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"npSubheadline\" style=\"margin-top: 3px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Smart meters becoming a big problem<\/span><\/h3>\n<h5 class=\"grey npPosted\" style=\"margin-top: 3px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Posted 3 years ago<\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"npAJustify\" style=\"margin-top: 0px; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Congratulations to Chatham This Week for breaking the news about problems with smart meters. Chatham-Kent Hydro will now be getting calls from people complaining about interference to cordless devices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">And I will be digging through receipts so Hydro can reimburse me for the wireless equipment in our home which is now useless due to the interference caused by smart meters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Your July 4 story contained some comments from the Hydro spokesperson that, in my opinion, were misleading. ?All utilities that operate smart meters must secure a licence for the radio frequency, and Chatham-Kent Hydro has been issued one,? implies that the system is duly licensed, when it is not. The licence pertains to a data link at 220 MHz only; the smart meters are NOT licensed, nor are they required to be. But the smart meters do have to abide by the rules for unlicensed radio equipment (RSS-210), namely, they must not cause harmful interference to other users, and they must accept all interference, even if it causes undesirable operation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Despite being informed of problems last fall, Hydro continues to mistakenly assume that they have priority over other users of the 900 MHz band. Industry Canada sanctions no such protection, and warned that spending $4.6 million on an unlicensed and unprotected system was ?dangerous? since there is nothing to stop licensed users from rendering Hydro?s unlicensed system inoperative. The huge price tag doesn?t raise Hydro?s priority as a user.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hydro also stated that, ?People with cordless phones or similar devices can change the channel.?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But the smart meter system actually monopolizes the entire 902-928 MHz band, meaning there?s not one single channel available which is free from interference. Residents can?t change the channel because there aren?t any that aren?t affected. Industry Canada has expressed concern that one user is using the entire band in a way that excludes the possibility of sharing with other legitimate users.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Radio Advisory Board of Canada, which recommends rule changes to Industry Canada, has already started examining this issue at its meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Of all the options available for smart meter data, the Ontario Energy Board rated 900 MHz systems as rather weak, since better options were available, including a licensed and protected allocation at 1.43 GHz. This frequency is effective across North America, and offers exclusive and protected use by the smart meters. Industry Canada is already expressing concerns about the use of 900 MHz for smart meter systems. Despite being allowed under today?s rules (subject to the ?cause no interference? clause), Industry Canada is ?examining how to deal with a single user who muscles in on a band and pushes everyone else off, and how they are going to deal with the pressure on other unlicensed bands that will follow if all the present unlicensed users move away from 900 MHz,? according to RABC member Richard Ferth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It?s hard to fault Hydro directly, since they likely relied on the recommendations of an outside consultant while choosing the system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hydro ought to have followed Ontario Energy Board guidelines and explored other options.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In any event, hydro is continuing to install a flawed smart meter system with a short life-expectancy which is guaranteed to cost far more in the long run than is being saved today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"npAJustify\" style=\"margin-top: 0px; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Austin Wright<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chatham<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 1.17em;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 17.0px 0.0px; font: 27.0px Arial;\"><strong>New fees proposed to pay for smart meters<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">by Paige Desmond &#8211; The Record &#8211; June 28, 2012<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.therecord.com\/news\/local\/article\/752227--new-fees-proposed-to-pay-for-smart-meters\">www.therecord.com\/news\/local\/article\/752227&#8211;new-fees-proposed-to-pay-for-smart-meters<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color: #003cff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">WATERLOO REGION \u2014 <\/span>Local residents may soon see an extra fee on their hydro bills, as local distributors seek to get back the cost of installing smart meters.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color: #003cff;\">Waterloo North Hydro, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro and Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro have all applied to the Ontario Energy Board for permission to institute a new user fee.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">\u201cThe Ontario Energy Board has directed local distributors to apply for the capital costs for the installation,\u201d said Margaret Nanninga, director of finance with Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">In Waterloo, the average cost to a homeowner would be $2.03 per month for 30 months starting Nov. 1, according to the application.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">A general service customer with a monthly demand of less than 50kW would pay $8.47 each month for 30 months.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">\u201cUltimately, the end-use customer pays for everything,\u201d said Albert Singh, chief financial officer at Waterloo-North Hydro. \u201cThe idea is that the end-use customer will benefit from that smart meter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color: #003cff;\">The average Waterloo customer pays about $120 each month for hydro<span style=\"color: #000000;\">, Singh said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">Up until April, users paid another fee for the meters. In Waterloo the fee was $1.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">But t<span style=\"color: #003cff;\">he proposed fees would make up costs that were not recovered<\/span>. No new fees had yet been approved by the Ontario Energy Board.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">Derek Satnik, past-president of Community Renewable Energy Waterloo, said the fee wouldn\u2019t do much for the smart meters\u2019 reputation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">\u201cIt\u2019s terribly bad optics,\u201d Satnik said, adding that it should be a reminder to homeowners to conserve energy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">\u201cI\u2019d rather pay for that than another nuclear plant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">Kitchener-Wilmot and Cambridge-North Dumfries users would see less impact than those in Waterloo.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">\u201cResidential customers would not be affected because of the revenues we\u2019ve already received from (previous fee,)\u201d Nanninga said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">Kitchener-Wilmot customers would pay 60 cents \u2014 $1.40 less per month than in April \u2014 and wouldn\u2019t likely see the fees until next year.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color: #003cff;\">Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro spent a<span style=\"color: #eb0e00;\">bout $8.2 million<\/span> on more than 50,000 installations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">Those customers would see no change from fees already paid of $1.61 per month. Users of less than 50 kW would pay $1.99.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">The company wants a start date of July 1, 2012, or retroactivity to that date, likely to continue to at least May 2014, according to its application.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color: #003cff;\">Waterloo North Hydro said in its application it had spent <span style=\"color: #eb0e00;\">more than $10 million<\/span> installing the meters at 52,000 homes and businesses.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">To comment on the proposed fees, visit:<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ontarioenergyboard.ca\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> http:\/\/www.ontarioenergyboard.ca<\/span><\/a> and on the consumer page enter the following application numbers:<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">Waterloo: EB-2012-0266.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">Cambridge North Dumfries: EB-2012-0086<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;\">Kitchener-Wilmot filed its application a week ago so no reference number is available yet, Nanninga said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color: #003cff;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><a href=\"mailto:pdesmond@therecord.com\">pdesmond@therecord.com<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px\/normal Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color: #003cff;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"printable-title\" itemprop=\"name\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-weight: normal; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<h1 class=\"printable-title\" itemprop=\"name\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-weight: normal; color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 17px;\">Reader addresses issue of smart meters<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n<div class=\"detail-page-right-block\" style=\"font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 16px; border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; width: 398px; float: right; color: #222222;\"><\/div>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\" style=\"font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 16px; border: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;\"><small class=\"color printable-author\" itemprop=\"publisher\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 11px; color: #c52a2c;\">Carleton Place Almonte Canadian Gazette<\/small><\/div>\n<div class=\"bHeader\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; clear: left; font-size: 11px;\"><span style=\"border: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px 0px 0px; text-shadow: none; color: #000000; font-size: inherit; line-height: 15px;\">By<\/span>\u00a0<span itemprop=\"author\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px 0px 0px; text-shadow: none; color: #000000; font-size: inherit; line-height: 15px;\">Edward Lapa \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"bHeader\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; clear: left; font-size: 11px;\">\n<div class=\"bHeader above-page-title clearfix\" style=\"line-height: 17px; border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; zoom: 1; clear: left;\"><span class=\"left\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px 0px 0px; text-shadow: none; color: #000000; font-size: inherit; line-height: 15px; float: left !important;\">Jul 10, 2014<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On Feb. 14, a Hydro One smart meter installer knocked on my door to inform me that he wanted to replace my analog power measuring meter with a smart meter. This is the third attempt that a Hydro One installer wanted to replace my analog meter, and this was my third refusal to have a smart meter installed on my house.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I have four concerns about smart meters and they are: health, privacy, control of you and fire hazard. Therefore, I see no net benefits to myself to have a smart meter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Health Every smart meter transmits information about your power usage just like a cell phone. The smart meter uses powerful bursts of electromagnetic radiofrequency (RF)\/microwave radiation to communicate with nearby smart meters and cell towers and send info back to the power company every few minutes or less.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You are living within a microwave environment and your dwelling is acting like a microwave appliance. There is a medical study that shows the cumulative health effects of exposure to radiofrequency (RF)\/microwave radiation that causes the breakup of the DNA, birth defects, cancer, blood pressure changes, sleep disturbances, headaches, and more than 100 other health problems. You will also get radiofrequency (RF)\/microwave radiation from the next new appliance that you purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The new appliance will have a <strong>RFID chip<\/strong> that will communicate with the smart meter and thus exposing you to more radiofrequency (RF)\/microwave radiation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Privacy The smart meter has the ability to collect accurate information of your power usage of each of your individual appliances (spying) and send the information to the power company. In order to accomplish the spying you will be required to replace all your appliances with Energy Star smart appliances that have a RFID chip that will communicate with\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">your smart meter by wireless (WiFi).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You will also be required to replace all your plugin receptacles with new <strong>RFID chipped receptacles<\/strong>. Then your smart meter will collect data when your washing machine and coffee maker are operating. If you don&#8217;t replace your old appliances and plug-ins with new <strong>RFID chipped appliances<\/strong> and plug-ins then you could be billed more for using old appliances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This plan is from the Earth Summit 1992 Treaty that is concerned with CO2 emissions that they claim is causing global warming (they now call it climate change as what happened this winter).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Control The smart meter has a system of control. First of all, the smart meter will track your power usage at all hours of the day and you will be charged a different price that varies during the time of day. Power consumed at business hours will be charged at a higher price than off business hours. Those that have smart appliances will find that the smart meter will turn off the smart appliance when the power company decides that you are using too much power. Also, your power may be shut off in order transfer the power to another area. This is all part of the plan to integrate North America into a Smart Grid Power System.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Fire hazard<\/strong> Smart meters have been causing fires and explosions in different jurisdictions of Canada, United States and Australia. Just in the last few years there were house fires caused by a smart meters in the cities of <strong>Pickering, Cobden, Deep River<\/strong> and other areas of Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">There is a growing demand to ban smart meters across North America. In some of the US states it is optional and in other states there is a state-wide ban.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Albert Einstein once said, &#8220;The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don&#8217;t do anything about it.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Edward Lapa<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pembroke<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"printable-text\" style=\"border: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; color: #5a5a5a;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.insideottawavalley.com\/opinion-story\/4625134-reader-addresses-issue-of-smart-meters\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">http:\/\/www.insideottawavalley.com\/opinion-story\/4625134-reader-addresses-issue-of-smart-meters\/<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<table style=\"cursor: default;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"j\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 11px; cursor: text; font-family: arial, sans-serif; width: 100em; margin: 8px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<h2 class=\"r\" style=\"font-size: 16px; display: inline; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;\"><a class=\"l\" style=\"color: #0000cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/comment\/columnists\/connie_woodcock\/2010\/01\/10\/12408771-sun.html\" target=\"_top\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The hydro <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meter<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> that apparently couldn&#8217;t count | Columnists <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"cursor: default;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"j\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 11px; cursor: text; font-family: arial, sans-serif; width: 34em; margin: 8px;\">\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"s\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">10 Jan 2010 <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Even when a <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meter<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> was installed &#8212; the start of trouble for some <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The\u00a0only good news in all of this: <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Smart meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and time-of-use <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span class=\"a\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.torontosun.com\/comment\/columnists&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<h2 class=\"r\" style=\"font-size: 16px; display: inline; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;\"><a class=\"l\" style=\"color: #0000cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/news\/canada\/2010\/11\/21\/16251356.html\" target=\"_top\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ontario to offer <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meter<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> rate savings | Canada | News <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"cursor: default;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"j\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 11px; cursor: text; font-family: arial, sans-serif; width: 34em; margin: 8px;\">\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"s\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">21 Nov 2010 <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> The Ontario government will take some of the sting out of <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meter<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">pricing\u00a0next summer by reducing the amount of time residents are <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span class=\"a\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.torontosun.com\/news\/canada\/2010\/1&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<h2 class=\"r\" style=\"font-size: 16px; display: inline; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;\"><a class=\"l\" style=\"color: #0000cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/news\/torontoandgta\/2010\/01\/07\/12374311-sun.html\" target=\"_top\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> prove not so <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> | Toronto &amp; GTA | News | Toronto Sun<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"cursor: default;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"j\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 11px; cursor: text; font-family: arial, sans-serif; width: 34em; margin: 8px;\">\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"s\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">7 Jan 2010 <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Most Toronto Hydro customers who&#8217;ve been on <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Toronto Hydro\u00a0found the actual difference in <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meter<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> bills &#8212; up or <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span class=\"a\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.torontosun.com\/news\/torontoandgta&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<h2 class=\"r\" style=\"font-size: 16px; display: inline; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;\"><a class=\"l\" style=\"color: #0000cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/comment\/columnists\/connie_woodcock\/2009\/05\/28\/9594736-sun.html\" target=\"_top\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Searching for &#8216;smart&#8217; in hydro&#8217;s <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> | Columnists <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"cursor: default;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"j\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 11px; cursor: text; font-family: arial, sans-serif; width: 34em; margin: 8px;\">\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"s\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">28 May 2009 <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Sometime in the next 12 months or so, a nice man from Hydro One is going to\u00a0arrive at my door with a <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meter<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> to be installed at my home. <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span class=\"a\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.torontosun.com\/comment\/columnists&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<h2 class=\"r\" style=\"font-size: 16px; display: inline; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;\"><a class=\"l\" style=\"color: #0000cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/comment\/columnists\/connie_woodcock\/2009\/08\/08\/10398386-sun.html\" target=\"_top\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">New <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> are one &#8216;<\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8216; move for Hydro | Columnists | Opinion <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"cursor: default;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"j\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 11px; cursor: text; font-family: arial, sans-serif; width: 34em; margin: 8px;\">\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"s\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">8 Aug 2009 <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> They came to my house while I was out and left me a little card which says: &#8220;Hydro One would like to introduce you to your new <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meter<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.&#8221; <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span class=\"a\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.torontosun.com\/comment\/columnists&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<h2 class=\"r\" style=\"font-size: 16px; display: inline; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;\"><a class=\"l\" style=\"color: #0000cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/comment\/editorial\/2010\/10\/19\/15753376.html\" target=\"_top\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Are <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> a dumb idea?: Editorial | Editorial | Opinion <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"cursor: default;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"j\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 11px; cursor: text; font-family: arial, sans-serif; width: 34em; margin: 8px;\">\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"s\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">19 Oct 2010 <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Watching Queen&#8217;s Park tinker with hydro <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meter<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> rates reminds us ofshuffling deck chairs on the Titanic, after it hit the iceberg. <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span class=\"a\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.torontosun.com\/comment\/editorial\/&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<h2 class=\"r\" style=\"font-size: 16px; display: inline; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;\"><a class=\"l\" style=\"color: #0000cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/news\/torontoandgta\/2010\/12\/21\/16635621.html\" target=\"_top\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Billing, <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> top complaint list | Toronto &amp; GTA | News <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"cursor: default;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"j\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 11px; cursor: text; font-family: arial, sans-serif; width: 34em; margin: 8px;\">\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"s\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">21 Dec 2010 <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Electricity customers upset over billing problems or <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> were the most\u00a0common hydro complaints filed to the Ontario Energy Board <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span class=\"a\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.torontosun.com\/news\/torontoandgta&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<h2 class=\"r\" style=\"font-size: 16px; display: inline; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;\"><a class=\"l\" style=\"color: #0000cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/comment\/editorial\/2010\/10\/19\/15753381.html?comments_page=10&amp;id=15753381\" target=\"_top\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Are <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meters<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> a dumb idea?: Editorial | Editorial | Comment <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"cursor: default;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"j\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 11px; cursor: text; font-family: arial, sans-serif; width: 34em; margin: 8px;\">\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"s\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">19 Oct 2010 <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Watching Queen&#8217;s Park tinker with hydro <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart meter<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> rates reminds us ofshuffling deck chairs on the Titanic, after it hit the iceberg. <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span class=\"a\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.torontosun.com\/comment\/editorial\/&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<h2 class=\"r\" style=\"font-size: 16px; display: inline; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;\"><a class=\"l\" style=\"color: #0000cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.torontosun.com\/news\/torontoandgta\/2009\/05\/15\/9464776-sun.html\" target=\"_top\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Be <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">smart<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> &#8211; watch your <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">meter<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> | Toronto &amp; GTA | News | Toronto Sun<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"cursor: default;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"j\" style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 11px; cursor: text; font-family: arial, sans-serif; width: 34em; margin: 8px;\">\n<div class=\"std\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;\"><span class=\"s\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">15 May 2009 <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Local tabloid style newspaper. Part of the Sun Media national newspaper chain.<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span class=\"a\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">www.torontosun.com\/news\/torontoandgta&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">Ontario Websites<\/div>\n<div class=\"g\" style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <a href=\"http:\/\/weepnews.blogspot.com\/search\/label\/smart%20meters\">WeepNews<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: normal;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;\"><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/martinwea\">Youtube martinwea<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;\"><p><a href=\"http:\/\/smartmeterskill.com\/\">Smartmeterskill.com<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;\"><p><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/hydroripoff\">http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/hydroripoff<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Hydro One &#8220;Enough is Enough&#8221;\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Video Coverage &#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230; Smart Meter Brands used in Ontario\u00a0 Simcoe Ontario &#8211; \u00a0SENSUS\u00a0iCON Smart Meter \u00a0http:\/\/www.sensus.com\/Module\/Catalog\/ElectricCategory?id=101 Kingston Ontario &#8211; \u00a0SENSUS\u00a0iCON Smart Meter \u00a0http:\/\/www.kingstonhydro.ca\/SmartMeters Niagra on the Lake Hydro &#8211; \u00a0SENSUS\u00a0iCON Smart Meter \u00a0http:\/\/notlhydro.com\/residential\/readmeter\/ Kitchener Waterloo\u00a0&#8211; \u00a0SENSUS\u00a0iCON Smart Meter\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0electricityforum.com\u00a0 \u00a0CTV News 2012 Cambridge &amp; North Dunfries\u00a0&#8211; SENSUS\u00a0iCON Smart Meter\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0electricityforum.com\/news\/sep09\/ThreeOntarioutilitiesoptforFlexNetmetering.html [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":6224,"menu_order":8,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"page-nosidebar.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1697","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1697"}],"version-history":[{"count":111,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4775,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1697\/revisions\/4775"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}