Ontario unsure about smart meter fire risks
With no central records, province can’t identify devices
Ontario homeowners deserve to know if they have the type of smart meters Saskatchewan is blaming for fires — but the Ontario government doesn’t keep a record, opposition parties said Friday.
“They’d better find out pretty quickly so people know if they’re at risk,” Progressive Conservative MPP John Yakabuski (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke) told the Star.
SaskPower announced earlier this week that it will remove and replace 105,000 smart meters, which measure energy consumption for timeof-use pricing in homes and businesses, after eight unexplained fires that caused minor damage.
A spokeswoman for Ontario Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli said smart meters in this province are purchased by local distribution companies like Toronto Hydro and there is no central record.
“The people have a right to know what kind of meters are in their homes.”
JOHN YAKABUSKI CONSERVATIVE MPP
“We are organizing appropriate outreach to confirm the model types that are used across Ontario,” Beckie Codd-Downey said in an email to the Star, noting Hydro One does not use the same smart meters as Saskatchewan. Toronto Hydro doesn’t either.
“The safety of Ontarians is our number one priority. At this point, none will be removed for fire concerns. We continue to study the actions of Saskatchewan and determine if we have any cause to consider the same action.”
Codd-Downey added it has “not yet been determined” whether the fires originated with the meters or as a result of the installation process.
Regardless, Ontario electricity customers should be told “what steps they should take if there are questions about their safety,” said New Democrat MPP Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West), her party’s community safety critic. The Saskatchewan smart meters were made by the U.S.based Sensus Corporation.
Yakabuski, his party’s energy critic, said the newly elected Liberal majority appears slow off the mark and should have a better handle on the potential problem because it was the government that pushed for the installation of smart meters.
“The people have a right to know what kind of meters are in their homes and whether they have the same or similar models to the ones in Saskatchewan,” he said via phone. “This seems to have gone on with the government too many times in terms of poor oversight, given what happened with eHealth Ontario and ORNGE,” Yakabuski added in a reference to a spending scandal at the electronic health records agency and questionable business practices now under police investigation at the air ambulance service. In a statement sent to the Star, Sensus Corporation said it has “no confirmation that the meter is the source” of the problems in Saskatchewan. “We are working with SaskPower to understand what specific events led to those issues and to determine the best course of action. “The investigation is still underway,” spokeswoman Linda Palmer wrote. “Sensus underscores the critical importance of careful meter in- stallation procedures, including the examination of meter boxes and wiring at installation, training of meter installers and the need to have rapid remedial action when field problems are observed.”
The furor has short-circuited Saskatchewan’s launch of smart meters, a tool used to bill customers more for power used during heavy demand periods such as hot summer days, and less in the evenings and overnight.