TELUS Mini Cell Towers – update

Dear Board Members,

This is to update you as to the continued saga regarding the Mini Cell Towers installed in the Cadboro Bay Village area.

I first wrote in October 2014 to advise you & the residents of their presence. They are TELUS’s answer to the community’s reluctance to have a large tower installed in the area.  The most recent studies indicate that the large towers should not be installed within 400-500 metres of residences, hospitals & schools.

The telecommunication companies have now developed the 4G Mini Cell Towers, which in reality are “little boxes” attached to telephone poles.  We don’t even notice them and have no idea if there are any concerns. They are so new that no studies are available. To this end, we hired a building biologist to measure the radiation being emitted from these boxes that are hanging just  meters from homes. Naively, my hope had been that TELUS was providing coverage in a healthy & safe manner.  Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case. In Europe & other countries citizens have access to wireless devices at much safer levels.

This Wed., May 20,  2015 at 5:30 pm a presentation will be made to the Healthy Saanich Advisory Committee at the Municipal Hall in Committee Room 2.  The building biologist has created a PowerPoint presentation to educate us all as to any concerns that may be present with regard to these mini towers.

I hope that one of your board will be available on Wed. evening to attend this 20 minute presentation.  I would also ask that you could post this on the CBRA website to inform your residents.

You might not be aware that recent developments nationally and internationally are indicating the need for us to become proactive regarding our use of wireless technology and of the placement of any & all towers no matter what their size.   Please see the media releases below.

Thanks for your time and commitment to the residents of Cadboro Bay.

– Sherry Ridout

1. On Jul 9, 2014: 52 scientists globally openly condemned Health Canada’s Safety Code 6?
2. On Jul 9, 2014 – 22 Canadian scientists condemned Health Canada’s Safety Code 6?
3. On May 7, 2015: The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) launched a withering attack on Health Canada and Safety Code 6?  Prof. Lennart Hardell, arguably the foremost scientist in the world on cell phone radiation, called Safety Code 6: a “disaster to public health,” and said that Health Canada is “unwilling or not competent to make an evaluation of the current literature.”
4. On May 11, 2015: 190 scientists from 39 countries issued an International Appeal to the United Nations, all of its member countries, and to the WHO on the risks electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by telecommunications and utility technologies pose to all people, flora and fauna, calling for more protective guidelines.
5. On May 12, 2015: The City of Berkeley, CA, voted 9 to 0 for a “Right to Know” cell phone ordinance, becoming the first city in the USA to have one since San Francisco disbanded its ordinance following a 2-year court battle with the telephone industry?