Multiple community members have been informed a cellphone tower will be built in Creston.
The proposed tower’s location is off 24 Ave North, where a water tower sits on town property.
Rogers sent out letters with information regarding the regulations that must be followed when building, and ways to get into contact for a public consultation to those living near the proposed site.
Vista Radio has received numerous complaints from those who received the letters, specifically relating health issues resulting from being close to the tower.
Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) Canada hopes to set such worries to rest by laying out facts about the potential tower.
Rumours of health issues relating to being so close to the tower are being passed around town via social media and general chatter.
In the letters they sent out, Rogers said they would be following Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 guideline.
ISED says Safety Code 6 sets limits for all wireless devices at least 50 times lower than levels at which any harmful health effects are known to happen.
“They protect people from all age groups, including children and seniors, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” described ISED’s media relations.
“All wireless devices, whether used at home or on towers, must meet these safety limits before they can be sold or used in Canada. ISED regularly checks these devices and tower installations to make sure they comply with SC6.”
Even so, the government requires notification packages to be sent out to those living near the proposed tower’s location.
“For this tower, ISED understands that a public consultation is currently ongoing and is set to close on November 27, 2023. The department encourages local residents to share questions or concerns with the city and the proponent during the consultation.”
More information about the process to approve and build a tower can be found on ISED’s website.
Ultimately, ISED says the tower’s intended use is to provide 4G and 5G cell service to the area, improving coverage, quality of service, and reliability.
The tower would take, at the most, three years to build.
