![\"Langford](\"http:\/\/media.bclocalnews.com\/images\/43080goldstreamGNG-CellTowers2-KE.jpg\" "\\"Langford")
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Langford resident J. Scott and Highlands resident Janis Hoffmann take a look at the cellphone transmitter that was installed near Scott’s home on Fairway Avenue.<\/p>\n
Micro-cell transmitters are popping up on utility poles across the province and they\u2019re something some West Shore residents are concerned about.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fibre optic is a benign cable,\u201d said Scott, who lives on Fairway Avenue. \u201cThese are not benign, they\u2019re sending out signals \u2026 The cable doesn\u2019t pose a threat, the cell phone transmitter does.\u201d<\/p>\n
After realizing what they were, Scott went around her neighbourhood asking people to sign a petition to have the devices removed from poles on their street. \u201c(Almost) everyone on our street signed the petition,\u201d she said, noting that she was unable to catch someone home at the one household that didn\u2019t sign.<\/p>\n
Scott noted the poles and easement areas are supposed to be used for essential services. But she said these transmitters are being used for one company\u2019s professional advancement. \u201cIt\u2019s not an essential service.\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents on Fairway Avenue aren\u2019t the only ones requesting that Telus move or remove the transmitters.<\/p>\n
Colwood resident Sharon Noble said, \u201cif you\u2019re living with this outside your home, you should be told what it is.\u201d She said that when the fibre optic network was going up outside her home on Triangle Mountain, she asked every possible question about them.<\/p>\n
Scott added that she asked the same questions and was assured there would be no transmitters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey lied to me, I\u2019ll say it,\u201d Noble said. \u201cSo many people are sensitive, it\u2019s not uncommon \u2026 Avoidance is the only thing you can do.\u201d She pointed out that \u201cif these things are outside your home you have no choice \u2026 You can\u2019t turn it off, it\u2019s 24-7.\u201d<\/p>\n
Janis Hoffmann was successful in getting a transmitter that would have gone up outside her home moved to a different location, adding that she recognized what the workers were putting up before it was installed. She also had a note, from a doctor specializing in electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), for her grandson and daughter who now live with her.<\/p>\n
New to the Highlands, Hoffmann had lived in Colwood for 43 years. \u201cI had no intention of selling my house \u2026 I was going to live there forever,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But after finding out her grandson suffers from EHS, which she said led to a number of health issues, Hoffmann said she began to realize what her home was being exposed to. With her grandson in her home most days, she looked for alternatives.<\/p>\n
After moving to the Highlands, in an area with very little exposure to cell towers and Wi-Fi, her grandson experienced major improvements to his health, she said.<\/p>\n
Telus spokesperson Richard Gilhooley said the company is \u201calways happy to speak to residents about their concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked why residents were consulted about the installation of fibre optic cables, but not the micro-cell transmitters, he said that when crews install cables they need residents\u2019 permission to do so on private property.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe distinction there is the micro-cells are on our property,\u201d Gilhooley said. \u201cBecause it\u2019s our property there is no duty to consult.\u201d He added, \u201cwe always let the local government know what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s a grey area in Noble\u2019s opinion. \u201cEven if they don\u2019t have to legally tell us, they still should,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are misleading \u2026 They\u2019re not telling people the whole story.\u201d<\/p>\n
A City of Langford staff member said the City has no consultation policy for the installation of these types of devices, noting they cannot regulate them as they are on Telus\u2019 property. The infrastructure is, however, regulated by the CRTC.<\/p>\n
As for why these transmitters are going up, Gilhooley said demand on the Island for better cell coverage is increasing. He nodded to the rise in 9-1-1 calls originating from cell phones. \u201cWe want to be able to keep up with demand,\u201d he said. Alternatively, he added, without additional micro-cell transmitters or towers residents could start to see an increase in dropped calls.<\/p>\n
These micro-cell transmitters, he said, are a smaller, lower-powered option to full-sized towers. \u201cThat\u2019s the beauty of these things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The devices are being installed in areas where Telus, residents or local governments have recognized a need for increased coverage and Gilhooley noted their installation is usually routine. \u201cThe response is usually positive.\u201d<\/p>\n
katie@goldstreamgazette.com<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n