A Buck Lake resident says she suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) and will be forced to move if a proposed cell tower is built next to her home.
Florence Mitchell moved to Willow Haven Estates in 2017, carefully selecting the location for her new home as a meter she owned indicated the location had low cell tower readings.
"I have felt safe and comfortable here," said Mitchell. "I am highly electro-hypersensitive. My body and brain respond immediately with impaired balance, disorientation, head and spine tremors and pain.
"I find it difficult to perform normal tasks in those high electromagnetic frequency exposures, such as having a cellphone Wi-Fi turned on in my presence. I experience great distress in my brain and body if I need to go to a hospital or clinic," she said.
"If this tower is built, I will need to leave. I have no safe place to go and no means to finance a move," said Mitchell, adding she's a pensioner with limited income and resources.
From a young age, Mitchell experienced unexplained symptoms that she eventually attributed to EHS.
She was shunned by her conservative community when she was unable to attend church as she experienced pain and dizziness when she came into contact with wireless networks.
While she has a confirmation of diagnosis letter from her doctor, EHS isn't considered a recognized medical condition and she struggles to be taken seriously.
The letter states Mitchell suffers from EHS and does not tolerate common levels of various forms of radiation, mainly various forms of light, radiowaves, and emissions from cellular networks and Wi-Fi. The doctor is a general practitioner with a special interest in environmental medicine and psychotherapy based in Sherwood Park.
According to Mitchell, she had one of her eyes removed a year ago following a year of intense pain after she says an optometrist insisted on flickering light in her eyes for five minutes during an examination.
"In five days that eye was blind."
The proposed Rogers wireless telecommunications guyed tower would be 106.5 metres tall and located at 55052A Township Road 462 in the County of Wetaskiwin.
A public notice states the purpose of the tower would be to improve wireless coverage for Buck Lake and the surrounding area to meet the rising demand for wireless services.
An equipment shelter would be installed at the base of the tower and the site would be surrounded by a security fence with a locked gate.
Peter Moignard represented Mitchell, appearing on her behalf at a county council meeting on Sept. 17.
According to Moignard, the proposed cell tower would be 800 metres from Mitchell's home and she'd share a fence with the tower.
Moignard presented a petition to council with about 50 signatures from local residents, he said.
"I am here first to represent Flo, then many other residents who have signed a petition about this issue. I have that petition with me here today but we are still collecting signatures."
The cell tower would be located immediately adjacent to estate developments of Willow Haven Estates, Mayfield, Evergreen and Sunset Bay, he said.
Moignard questioned why it wasn't possible to find a location for the tower further away from residences, such as on Buck Mountain, the highest terrain in the area.
"We are consulting residents and businesses of this area regarding this proposed project," Rogers stated in a public consultation notice from Rogers dated Aug. 22, 2024.
The letter stated that Rogers reviews any existing structure of building for collocation opportunities before proposing new installations. According to Rogers, two other towers close to the area were rejected as they were considered to be too far away and didn't offer the correct location or available height to meet coverage objectives.
The proposed location, in an agricultural zone, was then selected as the site of least impact to the community while also meeting desired cellular coverage goals.
Rogers was contacted but didn't respond to questions regarding the proposed Buck Lake cell tower by press deadline.
Shawn Hipkiss, director of planning and development for the County of Wetaskiwin, explained that cell tower regulation is under federal jurisdiction.
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) is responsible for regulating radio communication and broadcasting antenna systems, including telecommunications towers.
"Many municipal jurisdictions lack specific bylaws governing the routing, siting, or public engagement for telecommunications towers," said Hipkiss.
He said in the absence of detailed municipal regulations, the owner of the proposed cell tower follows ISED guidelines for tower site selection and public engagement.
"For this particular project, consultations are currently ongoing with Rogers and the public, including Ms. Mitchell," he said.
Once all engagement activities are completed, Rogers will seek a letter of concurrence, non-concurrence, or concurrence with conditions from the municipal authority.
"It is important to note that this letter serves merely as a statement of support as municipal authorities like the County of Wetaskiwin do not possess decision-making power in this matter."
If the owner of the proposed cell tower and the municipal authority can't reach a resolution, ISED will review the issue and make a determination, Hipkiss said.
"The County of Wetaskiwin has received some concerns from a couple of members of the public, but the county also recognizes that there is a recognized need for improved cellular service in the area and other citizens have expressed a desire for the tower to enhance connectivity," he said.
"Overall, the public sentiment regarding the tower appears to be neutral, with neither strong support nor opposition evident, but regardless, the County of Wetaskiwin is not the approving authority on this matter, but rather the Government of Canada."
Health Canada outlines the recommended safety limit for human exposure to EMF in its Safety Code 6.
In the code, the frequency range considered safe is 3 kHz to 300 GHz.
While Health Canada says there are two scientifically-established adverse health effects from exposures to EMF outside of the recommended range (a tingling sensation and tissue heating) it says no adverse health effects have been scientifically established at levels below the limits in Safety Code 6.
It also states EHS is not a recognized medical diagnosis.
"While the symptoms attributed to EHS are real, scientific evidence has failed to show they are caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields." (canada.ca)
The deadline for the public to submit written comments to Rogers about the proposed cell tower is the end of the business day on Oct. 21. Comments can be mailed to Rogers Communications Inc./LandSolutions Inc., 1420, 333 – 11 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2R 1L9, or emailed to comments@landsolutions.ca.
Submitted comments should include the reference code "W6377 Buck Lake" as well as a return address.
