News Release

BC Hydro representatives will be at the Union of BC Municipalities Convention in Vancouver this week to provide delegates with information the Smart Metering program.

Here are some facts about smart meters and wireless networks:

The radio frequency from traffic control associated with airports or ferry terminals (i.e. YVR and BC Ferries) far outweighs the signal of a smart meter.

Radio frequency from smart meters is much lower than many common everyday items that are considered safe. For example, many of us sleep with our BlackBerry, iPhone or SmartPhone beside our beds or the AM/FM radio or cordless phone on the night table.

Talking on a mobile phone for more than 30 minutes exposes a person to more radio frequency than a smart meter over its 20-year life span.

Exposure to four minutes of Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet from a computer is the equivalent of one year of a smart meter.

For a UBCM delegate arriving on Tuesday and leaving on Friday, the exposure to wireless networks in hotels and the convention centre would be 4,590 minutes – that’s the equivalent of standing next to a smart meter for more than 1,147 years.

Most communities have wireless internet available at City Hall and are offering free Wi-Fi connections for internet usage. 

• The City of Victoria has started an open free city-wide Wi-Fi network in partnership with local businesses using wireless mesh technology no different from smart meter networks. 
• A super Wi-Fi network is currently under construction in Vancouver that will blanket the Lower Mainland with Wi-Fi coverage and give people internet access on transit, in parks, on the street and everywhere else.
• In and around Nanaimo, free Wi-Fi is available at Beban Park, Bowen Park, Nanaimo Ice Centre, Nanaimo Aquatic Centre, Oliver Woods Community Centre, Nanaimo-Collishaw Airport and Frank Crane Arena.
• The City of Langford offers free Wi-Fi internet in the downtown core.
• The City of Trail provides free high speed wireless internet service at the Trail Memorial Arena, Trail Aquatic and Leisure Centre, on Bay Avenue or at City Hall. Trail Public Library patrons are able to access wireless by connecting to Trail Hotspot.

Public libraries are now offering wireless access. This includes: the Vancouver Island Regional Library, Greater Victoria Public Library, Prince George Public Library, Kamloops, Merritt and Chase branches of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Library, Invermere Public Library, Creston & District Library, Nakusp Public Library, Nelson Public Library

The District of Highlands fire department now has laptops that are equipped with wireless capability and are loaded with the proper software and installed in trucks to ensure the timely filing of reports with the proper authorities.

The Cowichan Lake Outdoor Education and Conference Centre, owned and operated by the Town of Lake Cowichan, offers wireless internet throughout the Centre.

Wireless parking meters have also been installed in Victoria and Vancouver. Smart meters and other wireless electrical and water meters are used by: Nelson Hydro, FortisBC, City of Penticton, City of Grand Forks, City of Richmond, City of Chilliwack and the Village of Queen Charlotte. In fact, by 2020 about one billion smart meters will be installed worldwide.