City approves wireless towers

A wireless telecommunications provider’s effort to break into the Prince George market advanced a step on Monday night when city council members approved the installation of four towers in the city. Freedom Mobile, owned by Shaw Communications, intends to put the towers up at Hartland Baptist Church at 6599 Driftwood Rd., Precision Saw and Tool Ltd. at the corner of Highway 97 and Kenworth Road East, Lakewood Alliance Church at Fifth Avenue and Ospika Boulevard and the Prince George Golf and Curling Club. Each of the towers is 29.5 metres tall and, along with ancillary equipment, will be put inside a four-metre by seven-metre fenced compound. The move comes after the proposals went through public consultation processes in which homes and businesses within 90 metres of the sites were notified and invited to provide comment. No replies were received by the end of the 30-day consultation period, council was told. Final approval remains with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

Prior to receiving a license from ISED, the operator must submit the calculations of the intensity of the radio frequency fields to ensure that this installation does not exceed the maximum levels established by Health Canada’s Radiation Protection Bureau for 10 kilohertz to 300 gigahertz.