The Peterborough Examiner

Neighbours convince city council to oppose Valleyview Drive cellphone tower

But Telus Mobility says only Industry Canada has control over cellphone tower applications

Posted By BRENDAN WEDLEY/Examiner Municipal Writer

Posted 7 days ago

A group of Valleyview Drive residents warned city council Monday night about the prospect of cellphone towers sprouting up in residential neighbourhoods across the city.

They spoke of another urban blight on the landscape of residential neighbourhoods. They shared concerns about plummeting property values once a cellphone tower is erected near their backyards. They talked about the fear of potential health effects from electromagnetic emissions.

Council listened and responded. With about 30 people watching from the gallery, council voted to tell Industry Canada it's opposed to the planned Telus Mobility tower at 868 Valleyview Dr. in the city's west end.

Mark Bullock, who lives on Valleyview Drive, brought council photos to illustrate what the cellphone tower would look like behind the homes in the neighbourhood.

To create the photos, he tied strings to helium balloons to mark how high the 42-metre tall tower would stand then digitally inserted the pole in the picture.

"The tower will not be tucked away out of sight behind the stand of trees," Bullock told council as he went through a slide show of photos.

He told council he feels a profound resentment towards Telus for its plan to expose residents to electromagnetic emissions from the tower that will also be a visual blight on the neighbourhood.

"The neighbourhood around Valleyview Drive is our home," he said. "We could reduce our exposure only by leaving our homes."

Bullock was one of five residents who spoke against the Telus Mobility application.

But council's opposition to the application may not be enough to topple the tower plan. A lawyer for Telus repeatedly told council the city doesn't have the constitutional jurisdiction to regulate the telecommunications industry.

Industry Canada has the final say in any dispute between Telus and the city.

Telus currently has applications before Industry Canada for three cellphone towers in the city. The other applications are for towers at 42 Lansdowne St. W., near the Del Mastro Motors Suzuki dealership, and 1951 Lansdowne St. W., near the Rock Haven Motel and Convention Centre.

Valleyview Drive resident Dave Trevelyan told council city residents need to know the future plans of wireless service providers or else there will be cellphone towers on every block.

"We're being railroaded in this situation," he said. "I know that cellphone use is on the rise.

"It's going to be a field of towers in the future."

Trent University associate professor Magda Havas told council she thinks people who live within 400 metres of cellphone towers have a higher risk of developing cancers.

"I'm very concerned about the health concerns of this type of exposure," she said.

Havas has been doing research on electromagnetic emissions since the 1990s. She said she was not speaking to council on behalf of Trent University or the neighbourhood.

She criticized Health Canada for setting standards that don't protect public health.

Stephen D'Agostino, a lawyer representing Telus, told council Telus will look for other options for a cellphone tower location in the area around Valleyview Drive.

"You absolutely have a right to an opinion. What you don't have is a right to regulate," he told council. "It's the federal government's job to regulate telecommunications."

Council decided to ask the Peterborough County-City Health Unit to provide information on the health effects of telecommunications.

Council also asked city staff to develop a protocol for how to consult with telecommunications companies about cellphone tower applications. The city can set its preference for issues such as the type of towers that are built in residential and industrial areas.

There are 13 cellphone stations in the city, according to Industry Canada. Several stations share sites — such as at 1925 Television Rd. where both Rogers Wireless Inc. and Telus have stations.

Industry Canada records show there’s a Rogers Wireless cellphone station at 1757 Parkhill, west of Brealey Drive.

There are cellphone stations in residential areas, such as at 630 Parkhill Rd., just east of Monaghan Road. There’s one downtown at 212 Brock St.

bwedley@peterboroughexaminer.com