Parents push back against cellphone tower near daycare
University, which leases land to Telus, says safety standards have been met
The University of Calgary has decided to activate a cell tower that was relocated near a daycare last month, despite objections from parents surrounding potential health effects of radiation.
Carol Roesler, whose three children attend the daycare on the university’s west campus, says parents’ opinions should have been considered, and believes there isn’t enough scientific evidence to be sure it’s safe.
According to the University of Calgary, however, the site falls 40 times below the limits set out by Health Canada in Safety Code 6, which regulates human radio frequency exposure.
“When you have such contentious research, you have to err on the side of caution and protect vulnerable populations,” said Roesler.
The University of Calgary says the tower, owned by Telus Mobility and placed on land leased from the school, was moved as part of plans to develop the west campus in the near future. The antenna is now located north of Collegiate Road N.W., east of West Campus Drive.
A number of protocols from Health Canada, Industry Canada and the City of Calgary regulate the placement of cell towers. Since there are no residents within 100 metres of it and no businesses within three times its height (about a 75 metre radius), it appears to be compliant with all of them. The daycare’s nearest playground is 84 metres away from the tower.
The University of Calgary also consulted the city before moving ahead with the structure, although it was not required to. According to documents obtained by the Herald, the city’s planning, development and assessment business unit concurred with the proposal. The city councillor for the area, Ward Sutherland, was notified, as was the Varsity Community Association.
Roesler, a University of Calgary graduate whose husband currently works there, says even if the tower is legal, it’s not ethical.
“The parents of children that attend the daycare are professors, students, medical doctors, and they have legitimate concerns about health,” she said, arguing there’s no long-term evidence on radio frequency exposure in children.”
As an example, Roesler cites the City of Calgary’s protocols for telecommunications antennae, which list sites within 100 metres of schools under “discouraged locations.”
The week after the tower was placed, the House of Commons standing committee on health released a report asking the federal government to do more research into the effects of radiation on children.
Roesler says she and others went to the university with their concerns. Telus and the administration of the university held a public meeting to discuss the issue.
On July 9, however, the university emailed parents to inform them the tower would be activated Aug. 31.
“After further consideration and a second review of potential site locations, the University of Calgary has decided to keep the cellphone tower at its current location,” says the email from Steven D. Gasser, associate vice-president of facilities.
Before the spot near the daycare was chosen, the university considered a location near the northwest neighbourhood of Varsity. However, residents were concerned about the tower’s appearance, and the current site was selected instead.
“There were a number of esthetic issues that came up in consultation with Varsity as well as the university, as it’s very close to family housing units,” said Bart Becker, vice-president of facilities at the University of Calgary.
Deborah Gillies, another parent whose kids go to the daycare, notes, “We don’t have problems with what it looks like. It’s a tower. We have problems with what it’s doing, potentially, to our children who are right there.”
Telus, however, says that the tower is safe and in the best possible location.
“The current location was the only best option,” said Telus spokeswoman Liz Sauve.
“Our sites come hundreds, if not thousands, of times below what’s deemed safe by Health Canada ... because they are low-powered. It’s critical that we relocate it to ensure that students, staff and visitors to the campus have wireless service ... They need to stay connected, not only to study and make phone calls home, but also in the case of an emergency.”
Sauve says the low-powered nature of the towers means their signals don’t extend very far.
“You can’t put it a kilometre down the road because it won’t give you the coverage where you need it,” she said.
Becker adds he believes the tower meets all safety standards. “The university certainly does stand behind Health Canada and all the research that they do, and are confident with Telus and their studies that all those issues have been looked at,” he said.
“We do believe the consultation is important and we’ll continue to strive to work on that as we move forward.”
Until there’s concrete evidence that there’s no health risk, however, Gillies says she isn’t willing to risk it. One of her daughters has a heart condition, and she says she’s not willing to risk adding to her health problems. Now, her family is considering switching to another daycare.
Our sites come hundreds, if not thousands, of times below what’s deemed safe by Health Canada ... because they are low-powered.