Notice for an upcoming meeting for all concerned residents of Clarkson and Lorne Park to discuss as a community the Bell Mobility Cell Tower proposal for Clarkson Road Presbyterian Church.
You are invited Wednesday January 11th, at 7 pm to Whiteoaks Public School, 1690 Mazo Cres, gymnasium. All are welcome.
Below is the official position of the Hillcrest Ratepayers Association Board followed by some FAQ put out by Pat Mullin’s office.
We encourage you to attend the meeting. Please let us know if you have any questions.
December 19, 2012
TO: Whom it May Concern
FR: Board of Directors, Hillcrest Ratepayers Association
RE: Proposed construction of a cell phone tower on the property of Clarkson Presbyterian Church, Clarkson Road
We, the Board of Directors of the Hillcrest Ratepayers Association, have some concerns about the proposed cell phone tower construction as follows:
- Cell phone towers are being rapidly erected in many communities yet this technology will change very rapidly. The Industry should have a long-term plan for the location of their structures and for the removal of same. There should be a long-term real solution to projected cellular requirements.
- Communities are being taken by surprise without proper information, citizen education and notification. There should be a municipal involvement in the process, and adequate time for consultation and appeal.
Therefore, until there is a decent, democratic process in place and until the industry has a long-term, sustainable plan, we do not support this or any other cell phone tower being constructed in a residential neighbourhood.
On behalf of the Board of Directors.
Julie Morris
FAQ – Telecommunications Towers
What is the City’s role in the process?
The City can only provide comments. The City does not have the authority to stop the
construction of a telecommunications tower.
Who has the final authority to decide where telecommunications towers are located?
Only Industry Canada, an agency the federal government, has the authority to decide where cell
phone towers can be located.
How can members of the public get involved?
There is a requirement for public consultation in some cases. Members of the public can
provide their comments as part of that process. The requirements for public consultation are
outlined in an Industry Canada Circular.
What will Industry Canada consider when they make a final decision?
According to Industry Canada, all comments received will be considered except those about the
effects on property values, or concerns about the health effects of electromagnetic fields.
The federal government has established standards for acceptable exposure to these fields that
they consider when they decide on a location for a tower. These standards are outlined in
Safety Code 6 – Limits of Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields.
While the City has no jurisdiction or authority, requests are made to the service provider to
provide notification to a wider circulation area which would inform more residents. As well,
notification should be sent by registered mail to ensure receipt of notification to all. This
request by the City would not have the force of law and would be under the sole
discretion of the provider.
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Actually, the Industry Canada guide accords a central role to the City in the antenna siting process. Download ‘Guide to Assist Land-use Authorities in Developing Antenna Siting Protocols’ from the Industry Canada website. You may also want to consult the Industry Canada document ‘CPC-2-0-03′ for a complete explanation of the roles and responsibilities of all the participants in the process.
The demands by ratepayers’ groups for more and wider consultation would carry more weight if they weren’t a code for “we don’t want any towers anywhere.” The public, including many people in the same ratepayers’ groups, demands better wireless communications coverage & access, and faster data speeds. While improved technologies can help to achieve these goals, the very nature of cell networks necessitates dividing large cells into multiple smaller ones to achieve the goals as well. This means some tower sites *must* go within neighbourhoods. Ratepayers’ groups would do well to identify the preferred locations in their neighbourhoods proactively; they could them come prepared to speak to telecom firms with authority. I suspect telecom firms would welcome the input. It would be hard to ignore it.