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Your source for local news, sports, opinion and entertainment: www.thenownews.com
PoCo cell tower draws a crowd Jennifer McFee jmcfee@thenownews.com It was standing room only in Port Coquitlam’s council chambers Monday night as crowds of concerned citizens voiced opinions on a proposed cellphone tower near an elementary school. Rogers Communications has applied to lease city-owned land in Greenmount Park to build a telecommunications tower in an undeveloped wooded area north of the cemetery and east of the Oxford Street extension. The 62-metre-high tower would be 120 metres away from Coquitlam River Elementary school and 160 metres away from the nearest home. According to a staff report, Rogers’ network has reached capacity in parts of Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam, in particular in the River Springs area east of Pipeline Road, in Oxford Heights and north and south of the Oxford Street and David Avenue intersection. At the public consultation, six people spoke in favour of the proposal. Another 23 people spoke out against the plan, although several opposed the location rather than the tower itself. As well, more than 500 people signed a petition against the proposed tower. Ed Fontana, Rogers’ network implementation manager, explained why the tower is needed. “The short answer is community demand. As communities grow and expand, wireless dead zones are created, affecting both coverage and service,” Fontana said. “Service can become unreliable and eventually non-existent. This community has seen a rise in its demand for wireless services.” The demand was evident at the meeting, since four cell phones rang during the consultation. “Today you might be able to make a call in this area, but as your community demands grow, you might not be able CONTINUED ON PAGE 9, see STUDIES.
Teryn Lee/NOW
LONG HAUL: Firefighters race against the clock to complete all the challenges during the Coquitlam FireFit Championships Saturday. More than 140 firefighters from across Canada took part. Go to www.thenownews.com for a gallery of photos.
Coquitlam lauds B.C. pesticide ban Premier hints at banning sale of pesticides as city eyes rules for application John Kurucz jkurucz@thenownews.com News that the provincial government appears to be jumping on the ban bandwagon is being met with unanimous support in both Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam. Premier Christy Clark said last week that she supports a ban on the sale of cosmetic pesticides and is looking to work with the NDP, members of the public and those in the business community to draft up legislation to do just that.
Last week’s announcement has ramifications for Coquitlam in particular, as the city’s newly minted sustainability and environment committee has been tasked with examining a ban around the use of cosmetic pesticides in the city. But banning the sale of cosmetic pesticides, as opposed to the use, could be the silver bullet not just for Coquitlam, but for municipalities across the province. “I’ve said from the outset that senior governments ought to be doing this — this isn’t really our role,” said Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart. “I’m perfectly fine if a senior government doesn’t step up and do it, then we will take the advice of our environmental committee and I think we ought to proceed with the process that we’ve got now. But in the end, my preference would be for a proper provincial ban that makes the products unavailable, and therefore protects
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communities equally.” Coun. Linda Reimer, who chairs the city’s sustainability committee, said her committee will keep working on the issue regardless of the province’s decision. “We’re going to complete what we’ve started,” she said. “With the provincial-wide ban, it’s a more effective ban in that it actually bans the sale of the product. What we’re talking about at the municipal level is the application and use of the product. The ban on the sale will obviously assist us in preventing the use and application.” Coun. Selina Robinson, on the other hand, isn’t totally convinced. As the most outspoken member of council on the issue dating back to 2009, Robinson wants less talk and more action given that the province has been examining the CONTINUED ON PAGE 10, see COUNCILLOR.