Looking down a treed country lane, a simulation of a cell tower is inserted in the distance
Communications

TELUS given Go-Ahead to erect a Cell Phone Tower on Cortes Island

TELUS has been given the go-ahead to build a cell phone tower in Mansons Landing. 

Lena Chen, a media spokesperson with TELUS, emailed Cortes Currents, “TELUS is pleased to announce it has gained approval to construct a new tower on Tla’amin Nation treaty lands that will dramatically improve wireless service on Cortes Island. Once completed, this new site will provide residents and visitors of the Mansons Landing area and surrounding waterways with reliable cell service, enhanced safety and access to emergency services throughout the area.” 

Photo by Neil Soni on Unsplash

“This upgrade is part of TELUS’ broader coastal connectivity initiative, which has resulted in improved wireless services to residents and businesses in Whaletown, Gorge Harbour, Cortes Bay, and Squirrel Cove. TELUS plans to schedule construction activities on Tla’amin land over the next few months.”

While no firm numbers are available, a significant number of Cortes Island residents are known to oppose construction of this tower because of:

  • concerns that electromagnetic fields constitute a health hazard,
  • or TELUS’ refusal to hold a public meeting, as is the normal procedure in the Strathcona Regional District (SRD). Instead, TELUS intends to build its tower on Tla’amin land, which is outside the jurisdiction of the SRD.

A small number of Cortes residents have expressed support for the proposed cell tower.

There are three major mobility carriers in Canada, and respondents to a survey in PC Mag last month placed both ‘Telus Mobility’ and its subsidiary ‘Public Mobile’ ahead of ‘Bell Mobility’ and ‘Rogers Wireless.’

“The company edges out its competitors in overall satisfaction, likelihood to recommend, and satisfaction with choice of phones, customer support, and fees; while the rating of 6.6 out of 10 for satisfaction with fees is nothing to text home about, it’s still quite a bit ahead of Rogers.”

Top image credit: Photo Simulation of the view Looking South from Rexford Road towards a previous proposed site in Mansons Landing – courtesy TELUS via Anderson report

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