Residents speak out against Rogers cell tower plans

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This article was published 24/06/2016 (3523 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rogers Communications is facing towering opposition in Richmond West.

Rogers is planning to construct a 30-metre cell phone tower at 50 Barnes St. on the site of Grace Christian Church in Richmond West. On June 14, Rogers held an open house to gather feedback from the community.

A petition opposing the location of the tower has garnered about 1,170 signatures, according to the “Concerned Citizens Group Against the Proposed Location of the Barnes Cell Tower.”

The tower will be located on property that is currently home to Pembina Active Living 55+ and near to the Southeast Personal Care Home at 1265 Lee Blvd.

The group would like to see the tower located further away from residential homes and public amenities and to follow the recommended location guidelines found in the City of Winnipeg’s antenna policy.

Jerry Woloshyn, an area resident opposed to the tower, said the group is soliciting residents to document their questions or concerns regarding the proposed cell tower and will forward them to Rogers. They have also expressed their concerns to area politicians.

Woloshyn said there were also flaws with the public notification process and criticized the scope of consultation.

“There were a number of things aside from the method of notification,” Woloshyn said, noting some packages were delivered in unmarked plastic bags.

“The other thing is that Rogers made no attempt to put an email contact for them in the package, but it does have an email for their agent… However the phone number in the package is wrong.”

The number in the notification package is a line to U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

“They haven’t really adhered to the letter of the law,” Woloshyn said.

The group is currently asking for extended time for public consultation as the deadline for Rogers to receive comments was June 28.

“Even though Rogers and its agents have complied with the City of Winnipeg’s Public Notice Requirements under the City’s definition of the “Prescribed Distance” (three times the height of the proposed Antenna System), in reality, the extent and scope of notice given to the contiguous residential community has been wholly inadequate,” a letter to Rogers from the group states.

A spokeswoman with Rogers says they will be contacting all residents who originally received notification packages and those who attended the open house on June 14 to ensure they have the correct contact information and are aware of the misprint in the public information package.

According to Rogers, the correct phone number for Evolve Surface Strategies Inc. is 1-888-912-2640.

“The proposed tower will provide improved wireless coverage to the city, with the addition of LTE services to the community. That will give residents access to Canada’s fastest wireless technology,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. “The proposed tower will comply fully with Health Canada’s Safety regulations. The health and safety of the communities we live and work in, is our top priority.”