Although the City of Merritt was listed as supporting a moratorium on wireless smart meters, council defeated a motion Tuesday to officially request one.

Only Couns. Mike Goetz and Dave Baker voted in favour of requesting a moratorium from BC Hydro and the provincial government at council's regular meeting Tuesday.
Councillors Harry Kroeker, Clara Norgaard, Norm Brigden, and Alastair Murdoch voted against it.

Several members of the Nicola Valley Safe Technology Advocates, a group that opposes the installation of smart meters, spoke up for their cause at the meeting.
About 20 people attended the meeting to show their concern regarding the devices.

Vicki Lightfoot said the province and BC Hydro ignored due process when introducing the meters. She urged council to respond to their citizens' concerns.

"You err by not respecting democracy."

Deborah Rose echoed the sentiment. "This is not Canada. We have a choice in B.C. to show who we are."

Mayor Susan Roline and Brigden noted that the City has already sent a letter to the province requesting a wired option. Brigden added that he and Norgaard did not have the opportunity to listen to arguments from BC Hydro and meter opponents following their election.

Goetz, who brought forward the motion, reminded the council before the vote that members had discussed supporting a moratorium at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention last September. He noted that the City of Merritt was already listed as a community that had asked to stop smart-meter installation though it had not officially done so.

He appeared slightly agitated when his motion was defeated. Speaking quickly, he said, "I guess we've spoken."

After the motion was defeated, Baker said BC Hydro and meter opponents in Merritt have met with council but not each other and suggested inviting representatives from both parties for a group discussion.

Rose said her group had invited BC Hydro to meet with them several times but were refused.

A motion to invite both groups to have a debate narrowly passed, with Baker, Brigden, Norgaard, and Roline voting in favour, and Goetz, Kroeker, and Murdoch voting against.

Goetz expressed doubt that any new information would come to light in a debate.
He said of BC Hydro representative Fiona Taylor, who had spoken to the council and local chamber of commerce in November, "That woman was a talking head. She read exactly what she was supposed to read. She said exactly what she was supposed to say."

Murdoch agreed that a debate would provide little new information and said most people have already made a decision on the issue.

Goetz said the point of requesting a moratorium was not necessarily to secure one, but to make the City of Merrit's view known.

"All this is, is a gut check, right?"