Opposition is growing over the construction of a hulking new cellphone tower in a Pierrefonds-Roxboro park.
The borough is allowing Videotron to install the structure in Victor-P-Gray-Park, saying it’s the best possible spot for it. Residents, however, have launched a petition in hopes of stopping the project in its tracks.
“I don’t feel safe being here,” said local resident Lama Ghalayini.
Borough leadership gave Videotron the authorization to build the new 35-meter-tall cellphone tower in the park at the borough council meeting on Dec 5.
Global News reported in late November on residents concerns over health, and the new structure’s effect on the park, which contains a play structure and soccer fields. Since then, more people have been raising questions.
Ghalayini, who works from home, will be able to see the structure from her home office.
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“We can’t say it 100 per cent will affect our health in the future and how long it will take to see the difference between now and then. But because we don’t know, we are trying to stop it,” she explained.
Health Canada says “at this time, scientific evidence does not support a link between cancer and exposure to radiofrequency EMF at the levels permitted by Canadian guidelines.”
Videotron says everything will be built to Health Canada standards.
The borough mayor and the company say the tower is needed to eliminate a gap in network coverage, and that building it in Victor-P-Gray park will have the least negative impact. The project tower was initially supposed to be built at Roxboro United Church, but the borough and the company worked together to find a different location after opposition from residents, borough councillors and a nearby school.
Ghalayini and her friend Anna Berstneva, also a mother, live close to the new location with their young children, and went door to door with their petition in recent days. They’ve collected over 300 signatures so far.
When they went door-to-door right across from the park, however, they were surprised to find most people were not even aware of the plan.
They wonder why it wasn’t announced on the borough’s Facebook page.
“They put a lot of things there, nice things like when they open the tree and when they put on the lights — but they never announced anything like this,” said Berestneva.
The borough told Global News it notified people on their website and through a public notice sign posted at the park.
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Ghalayini and Berestneva say one local resident only found out because the sign blew onto her lawn. It’s now propped up in a bike rack.
“We are trying to protect our children,” said Berestneva.
Though there is no scientific evidence the tower could cause long-term health effects, the mothers worry about long-term exposure.
“Asbestos was good for 50 years. They realized after that it’s not good,” said Ghalayini, who also worries about the effects on the value of her home.
Mayor Jim Beis says Videotron can build the tower with or without borough permission, as such structures are under federal jurisdiction.
He’d rather at least be able to choose the location.
The moms will continue to collect signatures on their petition, and promise to be present when Videotron holds a public meeting about the project in the coming months. No date has yet been set for the meeting.