A new telecommunications tower could rise in Mission.
Council has agreed to support an application by Rogers Communication to construct a tower on the rural property located at 31866 Rodman Ave. in the southwest area of Mission.
The application was originally submitted in 2013. However, the previous council put the request on hold pending a review of the district’s Wireless Telecommunication Towers Policy.
According to the application, the new tower is needed to address coverage gaps in the central Mission area, including the Silverdale neighbourhood area.
The proposed lattice self-support tower would be 50 metres (165 feet) high.
A public consultation was held in November of 2013.
“I believe that we need some new cell towers in this community,” said Mayor Randy Hawes.
He questioned the purpose of holding another public consultation on the subject.
“Regardless of the results, what would be the chances of us saying ‘No, we don’t want cell towers because a lot of people came and said they’re dangerous to our health?,” he asked the rest of council.
He said some residents may believe that cell towers are dangerous and have documents found on the Internet to prove it, but he prefers to accept “the real science.”
Hawes also said some people may not like the sight lines, or the look of the tower, but questioned if that would be cause to not support the proposal.
Council gave its support to the proposal and decided not to hold another public consultation. However homes within a 300-metre radius of the proposed site will be notified.
Now that council has given its support, Rogers can apply for a federal license before it can begin construction.
