Editor:
It looks like the City of Surrey is going full speed ahead with plans to place cellphone transmitters on top of utility and light poles.
The City of Surrey tabled a proposal for a pilot project for these types of installations on top of street lamps and utility poles to the mayor and council on July 23, 2012.
Two new wooden utility poles, with three transmitters apiece, appeared out of nowhere over the Christmas holidays on King George Boulevard near 32 Avenue. There is a new housing subdivision adjacent to these poles – I wonder how the future residents of the subdivision will feel living next to these transmitters? There is also a commercial building not 50 feet away – tenants include a health and wellness spa and an after-school learning centre for children.
The residents of the City of West Vancouver are clear about how they feel about cell towers, as three proposed cell towers were rejected at a council meeting in mid-December. Countless residents spoke of health concerns and a decrease in property values. There have been several other occasions in the past few years where North Shore communities have rejected proposed towers.
There are thousands of peer-reviewed studies going back to the 1970s that indicate pulsed microwave radiation at non-thermal levels – the type that emanates from cell towers, cellphones, cordless home phones, smart meters, Wi-Fi etc. – cause irreparable damage to DNA, linking it with cancer and other neurological diseases, sleep issues, cognitive impairment, ringing in the ears, heart arrhythmia, fatigue, headaches and dizziness… just to name a few.
Health authorities will say this type of non-heating radiation is safe and there is no cause for concern. I say this is clearly a case of conflict of interest; that is, the organization regulating the technology should not be benefiting from the financial proceeds of the technology.
The federal, provincial and municipal governments collect millions of dollars in licensing fees and taxes every year from wireless technologies. As I write this letter, there is an auction in progress of new wireless frequencies to the wireless-service providers, which will raise hundreds of millions of dollars for our federal government.
Does any one else see a conflict of interest here?
Carl Katz, Surrey