Martin Sadd (left) and Jacob de Raadt are not pleased about a proposal by Rogers Telecommunications to install a 35-metre (115 feet) cellphone tower amongst scenic vineyards near 92nd Avenue and 122nd Avenue. De Raadt, Sadd and his wife Trisha Salter are circulating a petition asking local citizens to voice their concerns about the cellphone tower application.
KEITH LACEY
A small group of neighbours is livid that multimedia giant Rogers is moving ahead with plans to erect a huge cellphone tower in the middle of pristine winery property on the edge of town.
Jacob de Raadt lives on 122nd Avenue in Osoyoos, not far from Martin Sadd and his wife Trisha Salter, who live on 92nd Avenue.
When all three of them found out about the plans by Rogers to build the 115-foot cell tower through an advertisement in the Osoyoos Times, they talked it over and decided to start a petition protesting the application.
De Raadt hadn’t met Salter until only a couple of weeks ago and approached her at her mailbox to discuss if she or her husband knew anything about the cellphone tower application.
When they hadn’t, they decided to start the petition, which already has close to 100 signatures in less than 10 days.
They talked to several neighbours and none of them were contacted by Rogers about the cellphone tower application, said Salter.
The newspaper advertisement indicates anyone objecting to the application can voice concerns to Rogers by written letter or email before end of business on Feb. 23.
The application indicates the cellphone tower would be located just north of the Shell gas station in the middle of beautiful winery property, said de Raadt.
Andrew Garas, corporate communications spokesperson for Rogers, said the board with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) was informed several months ago that Rogers was interested in building a cellphone tower in Osoyoos in an attempt to improve coverage and attract more customers.
All property owners who live within 115 metres of the proposed tower site have been contacted to inform them about this project, said Garas.
The proposed tower is 35 metres in height, so it is company policy to contact anyone who lives “within three times the height of the proposed tower,” he said.
Rogers wants to erect this tower for simple business reasons, he said.
“The reason why is because service currently being provided to Rogers customers isn’t adequate,” he said.
Rogers will look at and respond to every complaint in relation to this application for 30 days after the Feb. 23 deadline, said Garas.
The company has followed all proper procedures and regulations as detailed by Industry Canada, the federal agency which controls installation of cellphone towers, said Garas.
While Rogers is continually looking to expand its cellphone network across Canada and wants to increase its presence in and around Osoyoos, there have been instances where the company has pulled out of projects and switched locations due to overwhelming negative public reaction, he said.
The company would also consider holding a public hearing or “town hall meeting” if there was significant negative response to a cellphone tower application, he said.
In this instance, the company is convinced this location is the best to “dramatically improve services, while having as little impact on the community as possible,” he said.
De Raadt is equally convinced the site being proposed is terrible and a blight on all the neighbours who live in the area.
“If you live on 92nd Avenue, your new view will be of a huge industrial tower staring in your front window and yard,” said Sadd. “Imagine the damage it will do to the resale value of your property if this behemoth is allowed in our neighbourhood.”
The tallest building in Osoyoos is only four storeys high (about 15 metres) and this tower would be seven times that high, said de Raadt.
The town’s previous councils have done an excellent job of ensuring that all buildings approved blend naturally into the landscape, which has resulted in Osoyoos continuing to offer a spectacular view to almost every resident in this community, he said.
“This is extremely important to a tourist-driven economy and our own perception of the town we live in,” he said. “Many town councils in the Okanagan Valley have successfully challenged and defeated the building of cellphone towers in and around their communities.”
Councillors in Langley passed a bylaw in 1991 opposing large cellphone towers being erected in their community and Industry Canada recently rejected an application from Rogers to build a tower in that city in large part because the bylaw was in place, said de Raadt.
When he voiced concerns to senior administration at town hall about the cellphone application that has been prepared by Rogers, de Raadt said he was told the matter was out of their hands and this was an issue between Industry Canada and Rogers.
De Raadt said he has conducted plenty of research about cellphone towers and remains convinced they are not only a blight on the landscape, but pose serious health risks.
“If you are not concerned about this eyesore right at the edge of our town, perhaps the dangers of their emissions to your health should be of concern,” said de Raadt. “There are currently many unanswered questions regarding the negative effects of cellphone radiation to your health.
“Imagine the damage a massive cellphone tower spewing huge amounts of radiation into our homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week, can do to your health.
“Increased risk of cancer, migraines, heart palpitations and depression, to name a few of the serious side effects linked to cellphone towers being so close to human habitation.”
There is currently excellent cellphone service in Osoyoos and there’s simply no need for another tower, but if a tower is going to be allowed it should be away from residential neighbourhoods and located in the town’s industrial park, said Sadd.
“If a new tower is required, we have an industrial park where industrial equipment should be located or perhaps Rogers could use the 10-metre tower already located on the East Bench in town,” he said. “If you look around, many of the cellphone towers are located high up on hills surrounding towns, which requires much shorter towers and it removes the risk to the inhabitants of long-term negative health effects.”
Both Sadd and de Raadt are urging local citizens to sign their petition and voice their concerns to Mayor Sue McKortoff and members of town council.
“Let them know you expect them to look out for your best interest and not stick their head in the sand and say it is out of town limits and they can’t see it,” said de Raadt. “There will be another election in four years. Let our community leaders know they work for you and if a skyscraper cellphone tower is erected where proposed, creating a permanent scar on the landscape of our beautiful town and creating a serious health hazard, they will be judged accordingly.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
