New cell tower expected in northeast Red Deer by end of year

During discussion at council’s regular meeting on August 29, Councillor Lee shared a resident’s story from this April.

“They had a furnace fire in their home and they tried to phone 911. The call dropped three times; very frustrating. The family was in the home, didn’t know what to do, didn’t have alternatives, running all over trying to get service outside, going to different parts of the home to get that service in a timely fashion,” he said.

The City says letters were sent on September 7 by Mayor Ken Johnston to Shaw Communications, Bell, TELUS and Rogers as well as to Minister Phillipe Champagne, Minister of Industry, Science, and Economic Development.

They say the Deputy Mayor, City Manager, and Chief of Staff also met with representatives from Shaw and TELUS during the Alberta Municipalities Conference on September 22.

TELUS responded in a letter that day that a lease agreement was signed on August 30 with the City for the new tower, equipment had been ordered and construction progress was deemed on schedule for its completion by the fourth quarter of 2022.

“This cell tower is part of TELUS’ $9 million investment across the City of Red Deer in 2022 as part of our $17 billion investment in operations, network infrastructure, and spectrum across the province now through 2026,” Rajzer said. “We frequently review the needs of our customers and are in the early planning stages of seeking real estate agreements in the area to build additional towers, which will further enhance wireless service throughout the community. “

In the letter, the company said they are also reviewing the recent concerns raised in the Westlake area with the wireless teams working on real estate options for two future mobility sites to serve other areas in the city.

Shaw also responded on October 14, announcing their partnership with Rogers to create a national connectivity provider that would span to the city of Red Deer.

“With 5G and other next-generation technologies on the horizon in both our wireline and wireless businesses, we know that Shaw does not have the scale or capital to make the generational investments necessary to meet our customers’ growing and evolving needs,” said Chima Nkemdirim, Vice President of Government Relations.

The two telecommunications providers say they have committed to:

· Invest $1 billion to connect underserved rural and Indigenous communities in western Canada, including $450 million in Alberta

· Invest $2.5 billion to accelerate the deployment of 5G wireless in western Canada

· Invest $3 billion in service and technology investments in western Canada

· Expand Rogers’ Connected for Success internet program to western Canada, providing low-income seniors and Canadians with low-cost high-speed internet

· Create 3,000 net new jobs, including 1,800 in Alberta

Council had also requested city administration to outline a process for telecommunication services for residents when planning new neighborhoods.

Engineering Services Manager Konrad Dunbar stated as telecommunications is highly federally regulated by Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada under the Radiocommunication Act, it is not possible to pre-plan locations of towers in new neighbourhoods.

Various websites show where cell towers are located across the country:

He added ever-changing technology and a site selection process taking years to complete may result in poor placement if planned too early in advance. Some factors considered during the process include expected usage patterns of wireless service, local terrain, interaction with existing radio base stations, and line of sight requirements with each site to be reviewed by various groups for its usability.

Dunbar recommended administration work with telecommunications companies on improving “restrictive” city policies currently in place regarding the use of city-owned lands such as Municipal Reserves, Environmental Reserves, facilities and lots. He says policies can be modified to increase leniency for companies to build towers faster.

“We need to make it as easy as possible for telecommunication companies to put up towers so we need to be a help instead of a hindrance,” he said.

Although unable to go into detail due to non-disclosure agreements, he said work is being done to rectify dead-spots in the city through the use of fibers and 5G technology.

Councillor Victor Doerksen requested the city consider resident concerns on the health effects of 5G when reviewing policies.

by Alessia Proietti

New cell tower expected in northeast Red Deer by end of year

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