Canadian residents share many of the same concerns about better wireless coverage and what an additional cell tower will mean to a community. Although Moose Jaw, located in Canada’s Saskatchewan province, already hosts a number of cell towers, new and improved ones are under discussion. As Moose Jaw Today reports, SaskTel’s plan to replace a 149.2 feet tower with a new one standing 114.8 feet has some neighbors in a tailspin.
Neighbor Howie Cormier attended the most recent Council meeting to express his opposition to the tower. He referred to it as an “eyesore,” pointing out that the revised version would loom over nearby homes with no disguise possible. He objected to the location near Elgin Park and questioned whether homeowners and children were safe from health risks posed by the tower.
While U.S. telecoms rely on the Telecommunications Act of 1996 for authority and look to the World Health Organization and American Cancer Society for medical guidelines, Canada has its own oversight. Health Canada’s 5G guidelines have come to the same conclusions as U.S. resources, determining that RF radiation emanating from cell towers does not pose a risk to humans.
Responding to concerns, Brandon Hanson, spokesperson for SaskTel, said before selecting a site, his company does extensive research, which includes strict adherence to the guidelines set forth by Health Canada. Hanson stated that SaskTel discovered that its RF emissions are “many times lower” than the parameters allowed by the government.
“SaskTel understands that some towers often contrast with the surrounding landscape,” Hanson noted. “However … cell towers, much like roads and power lines, are critical pieces of modern infrastructure that allow us to connect with the people, places and strong enough to address current coverage gaps.services we require on a daily basis.”
“Stronger coverage is critical because it improves the reliability of the connection and provides greater bandwidth for the connection,” he told Moose Jaw Today. “Whether … for an emergency voice call or a video conference, reliable coverage and capacity [are] essential.”
After suggesting an alternate location, Cormier said, “To ruin a park with an eyesore like that, I think there’s a better place that SaskTel can” put it.
Council members eventually voted to table the discussion about a new cell tower, pushing it off until the next meeting in October.
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