By Stephen Vance, Editor
Caught between a rock and a hard place. A Catch-22. A no-win situation. No matter how you describe it, the conundrum Meaford’s council finds itself in, faced with a decision about a compromise location for a proposed cell tower and having to weigh the concerns of residents against the realities of modern technology, can’t be fun.
For those that think making decisions on issues like this are ‘easy peasey, lemon squeezy,’ I can assure you, to quote a favourite movie of mine, it can in fact be ‘difficult, difficult, lemon difficult.’
Would you want to make that decision?
I understand the passion of those who are most opposed to the idea of a cell tower of any kind being erected in an urban area. I don’t doubt that there are likely health implications associated with prolonged exposure to the emissions of such towers, though I don’t think we know enough yet to make any definitive statement on health effects.
History has taught us that we often don’t understand how dangerous something is until it is too late. The past is peppered with technological advances that have unexpectedly harmed humans, so how can people be blamed for militant caution with issues like this?
How severe could potential health impacts be? What percentage of the population is most at risk? It’s hard to tell from mixed reports and studies that I’ve been able to find, and it is possibly too early to know – all the more reason to be concerned.
Reality however, exists, and it is very clear. No matter what concerned citizens might believe about the safety, or lack thereof, with regard to cell towers, there is nothing stopping Rogers from going back to Plan A should Meaford reject the proposed compromise that would locate a cell tower disguised as a large flagpole at the harbour.
Plan A, which would see a larger tower erected in close proximity to a residential area and our high school, meets all of the criteria and regulations established by our federal government, and it would appear that there would be little anyone could do to stop them.
This is why compromise is so important.
Those most vigorously opposed to the initial proposal for a cell tower beat a path to council, expressed their concerns, and they asked council to consider seeking the guidance of CRINS (Canadian Radio-communications Information and Notification Service) who have extensive experience in this area.
Council did just as asked, and enlisted CRINS to deal with this issue.
Those opposed to the cell tower asked for a location away from residential areas and schools.
CRINS put together a report with alternate locations, explained the pros and cons of each, and CRINS recommended the harbour flagpole option as the best option for minimizing residential exposure.
I am having trouble understanding why, if the primary concerns have been addressed, and the language of the lease would include provisions for installing lower risk technology as it becomes available in the area, this compromise would be rejected, especially given the reality that such a rejection could very well result in exactly what those most concerned want least.
They know that if Meaford rejects the proposed lease, Rogers is almost certain to put their tower in the original location, and they will be well within their rights to do so.
Yup, it sucks, but for the time being, the compromise appears to be the best deal we’re going to get.
Council is in an incredibly difficult situation. If they agree to the compromise and sign the lease, some residents will be furious, some will be angry, others won’t care. Politicians can deal with that.
What they might not deal with so well is if it’s discovered a decade from now that health implications did indeed occur, and those they represented are becoming ill.
If no health concerns are actually realized a decade from now, then yay, good move Meaford council. They agreed to compromise, made a few bucks, and everyone is safe.
But that’s a hell of a gamble.
On the other hand, if they reject the compromise, and Rogers decides to go back to Plan A, there is likely nothing the municipality could legally do to prevent it, and in that scenario, more people will likely be furious.
I certainly don’t envy council. How would you base your decision? How would you handle potential outcomes?
If you’re passionate about this issue, continue to protest, continue to raise hell, but unless you want to chain yourself to the property in order to block construction, this compromise might be the best bet for now.
I wish council luck with making a final decision on this matter. We can be fairly confident of one thing. No matter what they decide, some people will be angry.
