Petition To Ban Smart Water Meters Due To Privacy Breaches, Health and Safety Risks https://www.change.org/BanSmartWaterMeter
The Issue
To: [Your City Council / Provincial Government / Water Utility Provider]
From: Concerned Resident]
We, the undersigned, demand an immediate halt to the forced installation of smart water meters due to the following serious concerns:
1. Fire and Electrical Hazards
There have been multiple reports of smart meters overheating, sparking, and causing fires. Unlike analog meters, these digital devices pose an increased risk of property damage and potential liability for homeowners because some of the transmitters contain a lithium battery. Lithium battery-related fires are on the rise and burn differently. They cause more harm. Inhalation of pollutant like hydrogen fluoride and small particles may penetrate the lungs.
2025, May 15 - Utah family narrowly escape fire triggered by scooter battery - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Lk5zmk3oY
2025, April 9 - Lithium battery recycling plant burns for the second time in 12 months - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7aU7F6_MZ4
2025, February 13 - Ottawa e-bikes catching on fire inside homes
https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/e-bike-fire-on-bronson-avenue-displaces-2-people/
2025, January 13 - Huntsville electric school bus catches on fire caused by electrical failure. Children onboard are safely evacuated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAdclfp1yto https://www.huntsville.ca/en/news/media-release-electric-school-bus-fire-on-earls-road.aspx
2024, December 3 - TTC ban e-bike due to risk of lithium battery fires https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ttc-vote-ban-electric-bikes-1.7400218
2024, November 27 - Electric school bus in Quebec bursts into flames https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIRSf1kVK9U
2024, September 28 - 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries caught fire inside a shipping container. CBC reports that: “Lithium battery fires emit hazardous pollutants like hydrogen fluoride and small particles that can penetrate the lungs…Acute exposure can even lead to a risk of heart attack or stroke..”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-lithium-battery-fire-concerns-1.7336652
2024, June 4 - South Korea, 23 killed and 8 injured in Aricell lithium thyonyl chloride factory after several batteries exploded leading to a fire - These types of lithium batteries are the ones used in smart water meters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hwaseong_battery_factory_fire
2024, June 3 - UK article reports a 46% increase in lithium-ion battery fires which burn differently and cause more harm - https://www.britsafe.org/safety-management/2024/fires-caused-by-lithium-ion-batteries-up-46-last-year
2023 CBC report on Sheppard-Yonge subway fire - https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.7073074
Transport Canada Report on Lithium Battery Safety:https://tc.canada.ca/en/dangerous-goods/publications/lithium-battery-transport-research
National Fire Prevention Association
https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/home-fire-safety/lithium-ion-batteries?utm_source=chatgpt.com
A safe water system should not introduce new fire risks into homes without proper investigation.
2. Health Risks from EMF Radiation
Smart water meters emit electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation, which has been linked to various health concerns, including:
• Headaches, dizziness, and fatigue
• Sleep disturbances and increased stress levels
• Potential long-term neurological and cellular damage
Many residents are unable to tolerate prolonged EMF exposure, and forcing these devices into homes violates their right to protect their health.
3. Breach of Privacy
Smart meters continuously collect and transmit detailed water usage data, which:
• Can reveal personal habits and routines
• Poses a risk of unauthorized access and misuse
• Violates fundamental privacy rights
No resident should be required to sacrifice their personal privacy for a water service they already pay for.
a) Refer to article on insider cybersecurity threats, which rose to 76% between 2019 and 2024 - https://www.cybersecurityintelligence.com/blog/why-insider-threats-remain-the-wild-card-in-cybersecurity-8086.html
b) Neptune's owns words: "As AMI and AMR systems have become more complex and feature packed, they have become a more enticing target for hackers looking to do harm to your utility" - https://www.neptunetg.com/globalassets/products/literature/20-004280-wp-leading-edge-security-for-amr-ami-systems-02.20.pdf
c) Neptune and City of Hamilton data breach - https://www.hamilton.ca/city-council/news-notices/news-releases/city-advising-residents-possible-data-breach-related-water
d) Even CRA was unable to protect Canadians' sensitive information. Read about the CRA privacy breach Class Action - https://rhelaw.com/class-action/cra-privacy-breach-class-action-2/
e) 2025, March 19, Nova Scotia Power Utility Breach by Ransomware hackers. Detected only over a month later! 280,000 customers' information compromised including SIN # and banking info - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/cybersecurity-official-weighs-in-on-nova-scotia-power-breach-1.7560875
4. Unexplained Spikes in billing
Canadians from various provinces are reporting unexplained increased water bills post smart meter installation.
2024, October 980 CJME article about a Regina man on disability complaining about the doubling of his water bill. https://www.cjme.com/2024/10/24/theyre-ripping-people-off-regina-man-on-disability-refuses-to-pay-high-water-bills/
2024 September 980 CJME article about a Regina woman noticing a steep increase as well. https://www.cjme.com/2024/09/12/regina-citizens-water-bills-climb-after-smart-water-meter-upgrade/
5. Waste of taxpayers' money
Transmitters are failing "ahead of schedule" reports CBC. 470,000 transmitters malfunctioned in Toronto, which will cost taxpayers $5.4 million. "The culprit is small lithium batteries in the transmission units. Once projected to have a 20-year lifespan, they are now failing at the 11 or 12 year mark, the city says." and "This technology failure is a huge boondoggle and it's going to be a difficult mess for city staff to sort out,". Other cities are experiencing the same issue. This is a waste of our taxpayers 'money and needs to stop.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-water-metre-failing-units-1.7356671
6. Forced Compliance & Violation of Property Rights
Residents who refuse smart meter installations are harassed, threatened, and even have their water shut off—a clear violation of consumer and property rights.
Case Example: Isabelle’s Forced Water Shut-Off & Injury
One Ottawa resident, Isabelle, attempted to refuse the water meter transmitter due to concerns over health, privacy, and safety. As a result:
• The City shut off her water, depriving her of an essential service.
• She suffered stress, hardship and a back injury after lifting a 5 gallon water container used for daily needs;
• She filed for a judicial review, challenging the City’s unlawful actions.
• On December 20, 2024, A court ruled that her water must be restored until the case is resolved sometime in Fall 2025.
This case highlights the aggressive tactics used against residents who exercise their right to refuse.
7. DEMANDS:
We, the undersigned, demand the following actions:
A moratorium on smart water meter transmitter installations;
The right to refuse a smart meter transmitter without penalties or service shut-offs;
A full investigation into the health, privacy, and fire risks associated with these devices;
A return to safe, non-digital analog meters for those who opt out, with option to provide photographic reading;
We urge our elected officials including our MPPs to take immediate action to protect public health and consumer rights.
SIGN BELOW TO SUPPORT THIS PETITION: https://www.change.org/BanSmartWaterMeter
