How our local government works
The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) has no authority over TELUS’ proposed 63.1 metre high cell tower site in Mansons Landing.
This would not be true if TELUS was building on its property at 798 Rexford Road, but they want to build on the former Paukeanum Indian Reserve No. 3. It has been Tla’amin First Nation land ever since the Tla’amin Final Agreement with the governments of BC and went into effect on April 5, 2016.
Cortes Island Regional Director Noba Anderson confirmed “The Regional District doesn’t have any land use authority here, and therefore is not going to be involved in any way. As your elected representative to the regional district, I really don’t have a voice here either. The Federal government does not approve siting of these towers. There is sort of an arbitration process if everything else fails, but if the Tla’amin Nation, chief and council would like the tower erected on their lands, then that’s really between them and TELUS.”
This matter was discussed at the December 8th meeting of the SRD Board, where CAO David Leitch informed the board that TELUS is locating towers on many First Nations lands throughout BC and Canada.
“If it is on First Nations land, you have no authority,” he said.
TELUS sent out written notices to residences that are within an area that is three times greater than the height of the tower (189.3 meters).
This stated, “All of the equipment necessary to operate this facility will reside within a compound located at the base of the tower. The proposed facility is to be located on a large vacant lot with proximity to existing access and power lines. The tower, if constructed, will provide improved wireless service to Mansons Landing, Marina Island, South Point and surrounding areas on Cortes Island including adjacent waterways.”
On December 1, TELUS placed a notice of their intention in the Birds Eye, which serves Quadra Island.
Anyone with concerns was invited to contact Brian Gregg of SitePath Consulting by email or surface mail, prior to January 31, 2022.
Anderson added, “Comments really need to be written to both Telus and Tla’amin.”
Late last Spring, Gregg emailed Cortes Currents that TELUS is responding to longstanding requests for enhanced connectivity:
“This is important not only for convenience but also for public safety since the majority of calls to emergency service responders are now placed via wireless devices. Sadly, we have been advised that a number of community members on the Discovery Islands have died or been hurt in recent years and they were unable to call for help. Wireless service can help with this safety issue.”
He also said that 5G is the current evolution on wireless networks around the globe, but in a rural area like Cortes will be similar to 4G/LTE in many respects.
Greg wrote, “In every case, TELUS’ installations will comply with Health Canada’s Safety Code 6.”
On December 9th, Manda Aufochs Gillespie cc’d Cortes Currents on an email in which she informed TELUS, “This location presents the potential of health ramifications to the nearby Cortes Island School and the children that spend their days there and the Cortes Island Play School and to the seniors that live in the nearby Cortes Seniors Village. There are a number of studies to suggest that cellphone towers can negatively impact student cognition, impacting fine and gross motor skills. Even more troubling is that the impact of 5G technology on children is little understood and perhaps of even greater negative significance. There is not yet enough evidence to constitute proof that cellphone towers, or the 5G that may come and share space on them, are safe to be placed nearby schools and sensitive populations. Here is a link to just one such study. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1557988318816914“
Gregg previously stated, “Debating the validity of the Health Canada protocols is beyond the scope of this consultation. In effect, we are required to comply with the safety code and this is a strict legal requirement. Since compliance is required and given that the technology is safe as long as safety code compliance is achieved, the federal government has determined that debating the safety code is not a reasonable or relevant concern. I therefore often gently note to people that if they have questions about the safety protocols that those types of questions may be best directed to Health Canada. At TELUS, we have no influence over the safety protocols and the best we can do is comply with the code as is required. We are not medical experts however we do comply with all relevant laws and safety standards.”
The proposed cell tower on Cortes Island is part of much larger push.
This Spring, TELUS announced it is investing $13 billion in British Columbia to expand its 5G network to more than 187 communities in the province. Campbell River, Comox, Courtenay, Cumberland, Port McNeill and Port Hardy are all among them.
In its press releases, TELUS has repeatedly stated its intention “By the end of the year, more than 70% of the Canadian population will be able to experience TELUS’ blazing fast 5G network, providing speeds up to 1.7 Gbps .”
Correction: In the original version of this story, Cortes Currents repeated an incorrect fact stated at the SRD Board meeting. It turns out there are people living within 190 meters of the proposed tower site.
Top photo credit: Rendering of what a cell tower would look like in Gorge Harbour – Courtesy TELUS
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