Telus will not hold an open house as part of its public consultation process for a new cell tower in Willow Point Park, much to the dismay of one councillor.
Coun. Larry Samson, who has been leery of the project since day one, said he thinks the public, especially those who will be living near the tower, should have access to all the information.
“I would like Telus to be obligated to hold an open house as part of the public consultation,” Samson said. “I believe strongly they should have an open house and let the public come and view exactly what this tower’s going to look like and let them voice opinions through the public house.”
But Warren Kalyn, the city’s manager of information services, said Telus is not legally required to hold such a forum.
“Telus has agreed to meet Industry Canada regulatory requirements, and the open hour requirement isn’t part of that,” Kalyn said.
“What they will abide to is providing public notification through the media, and correspondence via phone and e-mail.”
Telus has already began advertising its project proposal in the local media with ads announcing its intention to build a 30-metre wireless radiocommunication tower to improve spotty cell phone coverage in the Willow Point area.
The public will have 30 days to raise any questions or concerns with Telus either by phone or in writing.