An opt-out option for St. Albert’s controversial smart water meter program is on its way.
That was the outcome following city council’s decision to support Coun. Sheena Hughes' motion to bring back the option after it was defeated originally in a tie vote back in April last year. This time around the majority supported it with only Coun. Natalie Joly in opposition. Coun. Jacquie Hansen wasn’t able to attend the meeting, however, she voiced her support over the phone.
Hughes made a passionate plea to her fellow councillors that regardless of how they perceive the supposed health risks of smart meters, they should at least respect residents' right to choose.
“This motion is really about respecting others, respecting their experiences, their opinions and their concerns,” she said. “We have people who are so concerned about this that I’ve had people tell me that they’re going to have to move if this is actually implemented because their husband or wife or significant partner or themselves have such sensitivities to (electromagnetic field).”
Smart water meters track water usage throughout the day and give residents the ability to monitor their usage in real time.
Although the details on how the city plans to roll out the opt-out program haven’t been fully ironed out, the main idea right now is to offer residents a non-standard meter reading at roughly $35 per read. There could also be a $35 installation fee for a non-smart meter and a $50 fee to remove a previously installed smart meter.
The meter reading rate is similar to cities like Beaumont and Canmore but pricier when compared to Sturgeon County and Edmonton’s EPCOR, which charge $25 per reading and $15 monthly, respectfully.
Joly said she was disappointed some residents didn’t want to have smart meters because of the environmental protection value they bring. She argued they also help council make better decisions.
She said there’s a lot of misinformation around smart meters and electromagnetic fields (EMF).
“In St. Albert (over) these last few weeks, we’ve had people terrified to let their school children walk to the bus because of misinformation out there,” Joly said. “As a council, I don’t think we should be contributing to that sense of fear.”
According to the federal government’s website, smart meters emit as much as cellphones and wi-fi equipment. Unlike cellphones, which are held in a single area, exposure from smart meters spreads across the entire body, meaning the exposure levels are much lower, similar to AM or FM radio broadcast signals. Health Canada states the limit range for human exposure is from three kilohertz to 300 gigahertz.
The Canadian Cancer Society on its website states the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified some types of EMFs as possible causes of cancer, however, there hasn’t been a definitive relationship found yet.
Coun. Wes Brodhead said he was swayed over the civil liberties argument and agreed with Hughes that people should have a choice regardless of what they believe.
“One of the things council has always been challenged to do is find ways of providing municipal services in new and innovative ways that cost less money,” he said. “Unfortunately, most of the time the way that happens is (through) the introduction of technology, which allows you to do things differently for less money. In our desire to do that though, I don’t think we can lose sight of the basic right of our citizens to self determine how they want to live.”
Prior to council’s decision, a few residents came forward to support the opt-out program, with one opposing it.
Among the supporters was Jerry Manegre, who is currently in the middle of a legal battle over the smart meter program. When he heard of Hughes’ motion coming to council, he said he put the legal action on hold indefinitely, however, he wouldn’t drop the suit until the bylaws were changed and the opt-out program was fully implemented.
“This is basically just asking administration to come forward with bylaw amendments,” he added. “The next issue, of course, is what will those bylaw amendments be and will council actually pass the bylaw and the charges involved as well. The lawsuit is kind of dependent on the actions of the council.”
Manegre said he didn’t come to the meeting to negotiate with council but simply reiterate his point. He also mentioned that he brought forward the lawsuit after the city shut off his water.
