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•T h e IF P • H al to n H ill s •T hu rs d ay , N ov em b er 2 8, 2 01 3 6 OPINION Do you know the enemy Do you know your enemy Well gotta' know the enemy, ohaooh! --Green Day Canadians have fallen in love with wireless-- loving their smartphones, tablets, iPads and other cordless gadgets. According to the Canadian Wireless Telecommu- nications Association (CWTA) there are 28 million wireless subscriptions in Canada-- 81 per cent of households have wireless for both voice and data use, with that data network increasing by 5% each week. But while Canadians love the freedom of cell phones and other smart gadgets, there is a growing battle between Canadian residents and telecommu- nications companies on the placement of cell towers to create the wireless network. That battle has come to Halton Hills many times over years, with conflicts over sites in Ballinafad, Norval, Hornby and now Stewarttown. But while the residents rail again and again against the telecommunications company or the Town of Halton Hills, they are sparing the real "en- emy" from their onslaught. It is Industry Canada-- a federal government de- partment-- which makes the final decision on all towers, which states that potential effects on prop- erty values and municipal taxes are not relevant, which says Safety Code 6, local bylaws, other leg- islation, procedures and processes are not relevant. It is Industry Canada guidelines that need to be changed… and residents should be writing to their MPs to get these guidelines changed. On Jan. 14, 2014, the federal government will start the 700 MHz auction of wireless airwaves needed for mobile networks-- that means more towers. As the Green Day lyrics conclude: Silence is the enemy Against your urgency So rally up the demons of your soul (Ohaooh) The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of sev- eral Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copy- right. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ ontpress.com or call 416- 340-1981. The Independent & Free Press Know your enemy Letters to the editor Dear editor, A 30-metre cell tower is planned for installation about 160 metres southwest of Stewarttown Public School. A public open house was held November 25, and some parents were surprised at the lack of atten- dance. Fact is, parents of students at the school received no more no- tice or information than any other member of the public. They may only be learning about this tower now. The public commenting period on this tower closes December 6. However, if citizens want their voices heard, I recommend con- tacting Sean Galbraith sgalbraith@ proliferategroup.com and Kelly Patzer at Kellyp@haltonhills.ca to request additional time to com- ment. I've personally received an extension to Dec. 27. I've also created facebook.com/ StewarttownCellTower-- a page where citizens can learn more and share their thoughts and con- cerns. We may not all agree, but we should all have a chance to be heard. Kathleen Honey,Georgetown 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca or realestate@theifp.ca) Accounting 1-866-773-6575 Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Vancouver has banned door knobs, requir- ing all new buildings to have easier-to-ma- noeuvre levers. Would you support a Canada- wide ban on door knobs? • No (73%) • Yes (27%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Paying it forward Concern appreciated better time. In your honour, I will be making a donation to the Georgetown food bank. Al Smith, Georgetown Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox by signing up for our twice weekly electronic newsletter. Go to www.theifp.ca and click on 'Newsletter sign-up' at the bottom of the homepage. Dear editor, Recently while dining alone at the Kelsey's in Georgetown, I became the benefactor of a random act of kindness by person(s) unknown. When the time came to settle ac- counts with my lovely waitress, I was informed that my bill had been "taken care of" by some fellow diners who wished to remain anonymous. Though pressed, my server kept their confi- dence. My first thought was "Why"? I didn't recognize anyone there. Then I was reminded of a movie from 2000 named Pay It Forward which illustrated the ex- ponential ripple effect that one random act of kindness created. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. To the folks who committed this RAK; I heartily thank you for your kindness. It couldn't have come at a Letters must include the author's name, address and daytime phone number. Anony- mous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publica- tion is not guaranteed. Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 77, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters policy Cell tower issue needs discussion Dear editor, On Oct. 23 I was leaving a shop on Guelph St., when my car slid into a transport truck passing by. I was not injured, but the truck sus- tained wheel damage and my car was pushed onto Guelph Street. A lady wit- ness came to my aid and kindly took photos of the scene with my camera. I didn't get her name but I think she lives in Brampton and is expecting a child. I want to say a big thank you for your kindness and time spent with me. Jean Schoonover, Georgetown