Cellphone tower threatens health of neighbouring community, rally told

Article in http://www.theguardian.pe.ca
NIGEL ARMSTRONG
The Guardian



Elizabeth Grant, left, helps gather up wind-blown petition papers during a rally Wednesday against a proposed cellphone tower near Mount St. Mary’s convent off Mount Edward Road in Charlottetown. Guardian photo by Nigel Armstrong



Hundreds gathered on the grounds of Mount St. Mary’s in Charlottetown Wednesday to protest a nearby cell tower and hear of proven cancer risk from long-term exposure to radio frequency energy.

With a quarter-page advertisement in The Guardian to announce the rally, the ad-hoc group of opponents to the proposed Rogers cellphone tower off Mount Edward Road drew about 200 people.

Nuns from Mount St. Mary’s sat on chairs arranged on the driveway at the front entrance while residents stood on the margin to hear the speakers.

Sister Rosalie Kane, superior of the Sisters of St. Martha, opened with words of welcome.

“We are aware of how serious this issue is and we want to be in solidarity with you,” she said.

Juanita Lechowick spoke on the long history of health care given to Islanders by the sisters of the Mount.

“A lot of the things you can think about in our health-care system was (started) by the Sisters of St. Martha,” said Lechowick.

In the 89 years at the Mount Edward Road site, the sisters brought to the Island standards of practice in social services, blood donor clinics, epidemic management, extended health-care centres across the Island and music education, said Lechowick.

“Here we are in 2009 and we feel that their health will be threatened if a cell tower is built within 265 metres of their property,” said Lechowick. “We don’t believe that it is fair to expose the Sisters of St. Martha and all of the other neighbours to the low-level radiation that they will be exposed to if this tower is built.

“In one 10-year study done by five medical doctors in Germany and completed in 2004, it indicates that living this close to a tower for five years increases the risk for developing cancer by 300 per cent.”

Europe is currently adopting stringent guidelines that demand radio frequency energy be up to 10,000 times lower than Canadian standards for cellphone towers, the meeting was told.

Even if there are contrasting and conflicting studies on the health issue, the legal concept of the precautionary principle imposes an obligation to prevent harm, said Lechowick and other speakers.

Charlottetown city Councillor David MacDonald spoke in support of the protest. He said that the Charlottetown protest is gaining attention across Canada and the world. A film documentary crew is making arrangements to come meet the Rogers cell tower protest group, said MacDonald.

“It makes a difference when we all stand and fight together and we are prepared to do that,” said MacDonald.

He said that Rogers was offered other locations around the city. He said Industry Canada does not have the authority to allow a tower to be built wherever the cell company wants.

“We don’t allow towers in residential areas,” said MacDonald.

Rogers rejected other locations, saying the proposed area, already prepared last week for the tower, was the best location.

“I’m not sure it is the best site but it is the site they have access to, which makes it a good site, for them,” said MacDonald.

He said a process is underway to establish what is the current base level of radio frequency energy in the area to compare to any change that might come if the tower is installed.

Hugh Mullally presented MLA Robert Mitchell with a petition of over 1,000 names opposing the tower, saying that copies will be sent to federal MPs and government departments. Mitchell urged people to send off emails of protest to Industry Canada and Health Canada.

The group invited Rogers Wireless to the rally but no one attended nor was any written communication sent, said the organizers.