Opposition presses government on smart meter issue

The NDP opposition is calling on Bill Boyd, the provincial cabinet minister who oversees SaskPower, to resign over the issue of Smart Meter problems.

On Wednesday, Trent Wotherspoon the deputy leader of the NDP at the Saskatchewan Legislature said information about a fire hazard associated with a smart meter was identified to Boyd two years ago.

SaskPower, a provincial Crown corporation, abandoned its plan to install smart meters following a number of incidents related to the devices.

Earlier this week, the president of SaskPower resigned over the issue.

"By Minister Boyd's own definition ... if he knew about safety concerns, then he should resign," Wotherspoon said. "He should be doing that himself."

According to the NDP, issues relating to fire hazards were shared with Boyd in October of 2012.

"Boyd should be canned," Wotherspoon said. "It's astounding that the premier hasn't done the right thing to turf him."

Boyd said he does not recall seeing the issue of a safety concern in the document Wotherspoon was referencing.

However, Boyd noted that SaskPower's smart meter program used devices that had been upgraded since the concern was identified. He noted the document also pointed out that after the concerns were raised, the devices had been upgraded.