Community meeting airs concerns on cell plan By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When the Bell Mobility antennas on the cell tower at the corner of Rebecca Street and Bronte Road are activated, those living within a 500metre radius may have reason for concern. This was the message heard by some 200 residents Thursday, following a public information meeting at the Church of the Nazarene, which saw residents discuss health and safety concerns related to cell towers. Local residents, along with Ward 1 councillors Ralph Robinson and Alan Johnston, organized the meeting to gather information and discuss their response. Robinson said representatives from Bell Mobility were invited to the meeting, but to the best of his knowledge did not attend. "Your presence here proves you care deeply about our community and the environment where we live, send our children to school, work and socialize," said Wendy Cockburn, a meeting organizer whose family lives a few hundred metres from the tower. "There are experts that state electromagnetic radiation is not a health concern; however, I am very concerned. There is an overwhelming amount of information, from experts, who do believe we should all be concerned." At the heart of the matter is a Dec. 19 decision by Town of Oakville council to allow the Halton Regional Police Service to enter into an agreement with Bell Mobility that will see the company co-locate on the Halton police cell tower at the intersection of Bronte Road and Rebecca Street. In exchange, Halton police will be able to use a Bell Mobility cell tower in Brookville, thereby avoiding tower rental fees of approximately $36,000 per year. Police said the arrangement is essential to overhaul what Halton Police Chief Gary Crowell has described as Halton's failing emergency radio system. The Town's recently passed Telecommunications Facilities Protocol calls for telecommunications facilities to be 200 metres away from any sensitive land uses, which include residential areas, schools and healthcare facilities. This protocol, however, applies to incoming cell towers and not existing 7 · Wednesday, March 7, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com MICHAEL IVANIN / oakville beaver speaking out: Ward 1 Councillor Ralph Robinson speaks at a community meeting he helped organize for residents concerned about the increased use of a cellular tower located at Bronte Road and Rebecca Street. ones like the one at the corner of Bronte Road and Rebecca Street. Many area residents, who were fine with the cell tower being used for emergency response communications, have since voiced concerns about the impact the increased commercial use of the cell tower may have on their health. Trent University associate professor Dr. Magda Havas, who teaches a course on the biological effects of electromagnetic fields, says these concerns are valid. "In May of last year the World Health Organization classified radiof- requency radiation as a class 2B carcinogen and that means that it is possibly carcinogenic," said Havas. In a video, played by Havas, it was stated radiofrequency radiation was given this classification following human epidemiological studies that showed an increased risk of brain cancer in association with wireless phone use. In a demonstration, Havas held an active cell phone about an inch away from a volt metre, which she said registered 10,000 microwatts of electromagnetic energy per square metre. Havas also played a video in which she stood a couple hundred metres from a cell tower with a volt metre, which she said picked up 5,000-11,000 microwatts of electromagnetic energy per square metre. "One inch from a cell phone we are getting the same readings we were getting across the street from a cell tower," said Havas. "If that much radiation is harmful if you hold it to your head, how harmful is it when you expose your entire body to it?" Havas also spoke about a study conducted by the government of See Residents page 8 2 for 1 Mini-Putt FAMILY GOLF LEARNING CENTRE March Break SHOES C LA RKS O N We have the largest selection of shoes covered by ALL MAJOR INSURANCE PLANS! OPEN YEAR ROUND with covered and heated tees · Fun & Challenging Mini-Putt · 6 CPGA & LPGA instructors · Birthday Parties · Money Saving Memberships · 11 Acre Short Game, 3 Sand Bunkers TION A D I U LIQ SALE Lesson Programs Star t April 16 · Golf for Women I & II · Adult Full Swing · Adult Short Game · Active 55+ · Parent & Child · After School Golf · Golf for Teens · Golf for Kids · Summer Camps · Friday Instruction Clinics f f o 0 4 % E OR T S E IR ENT DR COTT TRUS CLARKSON WN RD SOUTHDO RD 1455 Joshuas Creeke Drive www.FamilyGolfOakville.com 905-842-6120 905.403.9443 www.clarksonshoes.ca 1744 Lakeshore Rd. West Unit 2 (Next Door to Clarkson Pump) Mon. - Sat. 10am - 6pm Sun. Closed ROYA L WIN D R SOR D LAKES HORE RD W