By Paul Morden, Sarnia Observer
Friday, November 23, 2012 10:22:59 EST AM
Wendy Hoy is walking across southern Ontario to raise awareness of the
health concerns surrounding electromagnetic radio frequency (EMR) emissions.
Elliot Ferguson The Whig-Standard
Wendy Hoy reached Ottawa this week after a long walk from home and took her concerns about the danger of cell phone tower emissions to Parliament Hill.
The grandmother from Port Franks began walking Sept. 20, accompanied by her dog Dash and driver Judy Watt, and reached Ottawa Wednesday.
She spent Thursday at the Parliament buildings, meeting with the MPs and others about the issue of health impacts from electromagnetic radio frequency emissions from cell phone towers and other devices.
“I feel glad to be a Canadian,” Hoy said, “because I’ve come here to Ottawa and the MPs are paying attention to us.”
She had meetings scheduled with Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MP Bev Shipley and Oakville MP Terrence Young.
Hoy also planned to be in the public gallery during question period where an MP was scheduled to raise her issue.
Hoy moved to Port Franks from nearby London in the 1990s and her walk followed a campaign by a group of residents against the building of a cell phone tower in Port Franks.
Hoy met and spoke with many people in communities along the way to Ottawa and said most were also concerned about the issue.
“They’re very concerned about the close proximity of cell towers to their residences, schools and playgrounds,” she added.
“Moreover, they’re concerned that they don’t have any say in how close these towers are going in where they live.”
She added people often talked about not knowing what the radiation might do to their health.
“They hear that they should use their cell phones with caution, but they don’t really know what is at the root of it all.”
Hoy said people often feel they’re being left in the dark and governments, so far, haven’t done much to help them learn more about the issue.
After her walk began, it received support from the Citizens for Safe Technology. The not-for-profit citizens group works to inform Canadians and policy makers about the dangers of exposures to unsafe levels of radiation from technology.
The group helped arranged meetings and members gave Hoy and her driver places to stay during their walk.
It also included information about Hoy’s walk on the group’s website, c4st.org.
“I feel very optimist that our government will be listening to us and start implementing some changes,” Hoy said.
That includes a more transparent approval process for approving cell phone towers and more power for local councils, she said.
