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Barrie Advance
Bell blasted at cell tower meeting
Date: Apr 16, 2008
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Bell Mobility representatives were criticized on Saturday for not providing members of the public with enough information about their proposed tower on Whitehouse Road. While maps were provided at the meeting to indicate the proposed 350-foot tower’s location, staff did not provide information about the tower’s expected coverage area or about guidelines set out by Health Canada regarding exposure to radio frequency fields. Questioned by a resident on the road, Bell Mobility representative John Woods said that obviously the tower would emit radio frequency fields but said, “Right now we operate between 1,000 to 2,000 times below Health Canada’s guidelines.” However, that did not alleviate the health concern of residents living on the road – some who admittedly use cell phones – about the effects emissions from the proposed 350-foot cell tower could have on their health and that of their children. “Everything I’ve read says there is no conclusive evidence to say it is not a health hazard,” said one resident. A woman who lives on the road said she preferred to err on the side of caution rather than be diagnosed with cancer in 20 years. “I’d rather be safe and say no than be sorry later on,” she said. Other concerns included the effect the tower would have on the skyline and how it would affect the property values of homes in the area. Some members of the public were strictly there to find out whether their cell phones would work in areas such as Brunel Road if the tower were to be erected. Bell Mobility was also criticized for moving away from investing in land lines. Woods said wireless technology is certainly where Bell is spending more of its money. In terms of the tower Woods said, “We are trying to bring a good thing to your community.” However, some disagreed. “If you moved it three kilometres into the bush you’d have no opposition,” said one of the three Whitehouse Road residents who attended the meeting. “You are putting this right at the tip of our driveway... in the middle of a young subdivision,” said another. “I’ll do whatever I can to stop it,” said a third. Approximately 10 people attended the meeting. Wood said the idea of the meeting was to hear people’s concerns and try to resolve them while at the same time measure the extent of either support or resistance for that site. He said the Town of Huntsville, although not the approval agency, has not yet been approached for input on the proposed tower. A similar tower proposed in the Baysville area was met with so much resistance that Bell Mobility abandoned the proposal; however, there are still large pockets of areas without cell coverage.
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