To the Editor,
Re: School board needs cell tower policy, Letters, Feb. 5.
The distrust of Health Canada guidelines reflects an increasing general distrust of anything that any government agency says. This seems to be a national, even international phenomenon now.
Perhaps local Hammond Bay residents are being overly cautious here.
Living in the area, I note how few students even walk to the elementary schools nowadays, even though upgrading of crosswalks was recently done after complaints.
Consider the value of correcting cellular ‘dead zones’.
What if you were first on the scene of a serious traffic accident on Hammond Bay? There have been some. A neighbour has a heart attack or a house fire? A thief is breaking in? Time is of the essence and your cellphone – increasingly the only phone many folks have – is useless.
Emergency services folks worry they can’t even call for backup if their first response is inadequate.
Regarding property values, real estate friends tell me home values would actually increase, not decrease with better cell coverage. Presently, some folks won’t buy in that area due to convenience and safety concerns around lack of phone service.
Cellphones are now an integral part of our daily lives. Full, quality coverage is a necessity. Other places are pushing 3G, 4G, even 5G coverage and we still have ‘dead zones’ within our modern city?
Jordan Ellis
Nanaimo