TELUS Given go-ahead to erect a cell phone tower on Cortes Island
Cortes Currents
English - May 15, 2023 20:32 - 2 minutes - 5.29 MBNews cortes island discovery islands quadra food security energy indigenous nations Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - TELUS issued a press release stating “it has gained approval to construct a new tower on Tla’amin Nation treaty lands that will dramatically improve wireless service on Cortes Island. Once completed, this new site will provide residents and visitors of the Mansons Landing area and surrounding waterways with reliable cell service, enhanced safety and access to emergency services throughout the area.”
“This upgrade is part of TELUS’ broader coastal connectivity initiative, which has resulted in improved wireless services to residents and businesses in Whaletown, Gorge Harbour, Cortes Bay, and Squirrel Cove. TELUS plans to schedule construction activities on Tla’amin land over the next few months.”
While no firm numbers are available, a significant number of Cortes Island residents are known to oppose construction of this tower because of:
concerns that electromagnetic fields constitute a health hazard,
TELUS’ refusal to hold a public meeting, as is the normal procedure in our area.
A small number of Cortes residents have expressed support for the proposed cell tower.
There are three major mobility carriers in Canada, and respondents to a survey in PC Mag last month placed both ‘Telus Mobility’ and its subsidiary ‘Public Mobile’ ahead of ‘Bell Mobility’ and ‘Rogers Wireless.’
“The company edges out its competitors in overall satisfaction, likelihood to recommend, and satisfaction with choice of phones, customer support, and fees; while the rating of 6.6 out of 10 for satisfaction with fees is nothing to text home about, it's still quite a bit ahead of Rogers.”