On 30 August, in the Barrie Advance, there was a response to an earlier article that I have blogged about. More specifically, in an article entitled ‘No PC Plan for Energy System’, Liberal candidate Karl Walsh lamented the PC’s position on smart meters. I pick up on one quotation in particular.
In the article, Walsh states, ‘The PCs’ pledge to rip out new, modern smart meters and replace them with old, out-dated meters doesn’t make much sense.’ While there seems to be some ambiguity in the PC’s plans – I wrote earlier about this in the aforementioned posting – I have never seen a proposal to re-install conventional meters. Instead, in the relevant part of the PC’s platform, states that: ‘We will end mandatory time-of-use pricing. We will stop forcing families to be showered and ready for school and work before 7am or compelling seniors to do laundry late into the night. The smart meters forced on our homes – at a cost of more than $1 billion – have become nothing but government- sponsored tax machines. We will let you decide whether your family wants to use the time-of-use pricing system.’ The ‘ripping out’ of these meters is not mentioned. Indeed, there is lots of mention of ‘unplugging’, but that is meant metaphorically rather than literally.
