Salmon Arm’s new council may get a chance to hear all about the community’s thoughts on cell phone towers.
Council voted Monday to hold a public input session on cell towers, probably in January of next year – after the Nov. 15 municipal election. The plan is expected to be confirmed at the Oct. 14 council meeting.
The idea arose after city staff presented a motion to council at the Oct. 6 planning meeting. It stated that council recognize Industry Canada protocols as the guide to local communication system location and consultation procedures.
Staff noted that Industry Canada and Health Canada ultimately have jurisdiction over such towers and health standards.
The decision to forego a local policy on cell towers comes with a detailed history.
Director of development services Kevin Pearson explained that in February, staff presented a report and draft policy on the issue to council. However, Industry Canada had just announced it intended to initiate changes to its federal consultation protocol for the siting of cell towers. Staff consequently recommended that a local policy be deferred until the details were in effect.
When the city was gathering input for a policy, much of the opposition was against having cell towers within city limits, Pearson noted, or only within certain areas.
The draft policy was shown to Industry Canada.
“It was revealed to us that it (the local policy) was unlikely to be supported,” Pearson said. “Even if council didn’t approve, Industry would locate them anyways, as that’s where they need to install...”
The new federal protocols were announced in July, which staff stated made the local draft policy largely irrelevant.
“Adopting a local policy would consume more of staff time to administer, place the city in more of a perceived yet false role as a regulator by the public, with end results that are not likely to be different than what would be approved under Industry Canada’s revised protocol,” stated the staff report presented at Monday’s meeting.
The revised protocols mean that consultation by proponents is required for new antenna systems less than 15 metres high, and consultation is encouraged even if a proposal meets criteria. Antenna systems that are on other structures like telephone poles, such as the recent ones in Canoe, don’t require consultation, however, unless the total height increase is greater than 25 per cent of the existing structure.
Coun. Alan Harrison suggested a public meeting be held so people can air their views. Staff said such a meeting could likely not be scheduled until January.
Although some councillors expressed concern over giving citizens false hope that the city actually has power over cell tower installations, eventually all except Coun. Denise Reimer voted to delay the motion until after a public meeting.
Shelley Corbin, who was in the gallery, thanked council members for their willingness to hold a public meeting.
“I think some of them are hearing our concerns. Industry Canada had to address this issue because of the widespread public outcry. There is a massive amount of research and studies done overseas and in other countries, whose health limits – EMR (electro-magnetic radiation) or EMF (electro-magnetic field) emissions – are much lower than ours by tens and even thousands of times, and I think possibly council members are recognizing there may be a problem.”
Regarding the city’s cell towers, Pearson said for the one just west of the Mall at Piccadilly, almost 30 metres high, consultation was via Industry Canada’s previous process.
The tower on the Telus building was exempt from consultation but wouldn’t be now, he said, as the height is greater than 25 per cent of building. The same with the 14.9 meter tower at the uptown Tim Hortons.
“That loophole is now closed, we would have been notified of that one,” he said.