Public Meeting: Proposed cell tower
On Monday, residents can talk to a telecommunications company about its proposed cell phone tower northwest of Creemore.
At a Public Meeting in Stayner on March 17, Bell Telecommunications will discuss the company’s plans to improve cell phone coverage for Bell customers in Dunedin and Websterville.
Members of the public will be able to ask questions and make comments to Bell and to Council.
The Public Meeting is a mandatory part of a consultation period in Clearview’s protocol for considering telecommunication towers.
“[Bell] needs to consult with the municipality and there needs to be some kind of concurrence,” said Rossalyn Workman, a Development Planner at the Township. “We need to support the location.”
Industry Canada, which regulates telecommunications companies, also requires Bell to consult with local citizens and municipaliti before building new infrastructure.
The tower is part of Bell’s initiative to expand wireless broadband Internet services to 112 communities in a four-year program the Canadian Radio Telecommunications-television Commission approved in 2010.
However, Industry Canada representative Michel Cimpaye and Bell Telecommunications spokesperson Albert Lee told the Echo that Bell must follow Industry Canada’s and Clearview’s consultation processes before a decision to erect the tower is made.
Residents in the area have expressed concern about the view being disrupted by a 61-m steel lattice tripole telecommunications tower with radio antenna. With the nearest residential property about 455 m south of the proposed site, others worry about the health effects a new tower could pose.
Bell made its application to build the cell tower at 7754 12-13 Sideroad (approximately 1.3 km west of Fairgrounds Road) to Cleaview Council in January through a third-party consultant, Fontur International.
Bell says the new infrastructure will upgrade cell coverage in Clearview to keep up with changes in technology and the community.
The Public Meeting will be held in the Council Chambers of the Township’s Administration Building at 217 Gideon Street in Stayner. Residents who are unable to attend can contact: Fontur International Inc., 30 East Beaver Creek Road, Suite 104, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J2, fax 866-234-7873 or email W3370.bell.info@fonturinternational.com.
