A 35 metre tall telecommunications tower to boost cell service has been proposed for Okotoks, and residents will be able to learn more about it at an upcoming open house.
LandSolutions Inc. is working with Rogers Communications on the proposal to build the tower near the intersection of Highway 7 and Highway 783 on the southern edge of Okotoks.
Before filing an application for the project, the company will host an open house at the Okotoks Recreation Centre from 5 p.m. to 7 on June 20, and will accept written comments until June 30. Residents within 300 metres of the site have also been notified.
Public notice of the open house appeared in the June 7 issue of the Western Wheel.
Colin Gainer, senior planner with Community Growth & Investment at the Town of Okotoks, said the tower is designed to improve the cellular network.
Gainer said the Town of Okotoks plays a limited role in these types of approvals.
The company involved will be able to answer questions at the open house about the proposal and why they feel a tower is needed at that location, he said.
“The information session is very much up to LandSolutions and Rogers to run and provide the information as part of their application process,” he said.
LandSolutions Inc. did not return calls from the Western Wheel for information regarding their proposal.
Gainer said towers are regulated by the federal government and aren’t approved by the Town.
Following the open house and comment period, the company can make a formal submission to the Town, which the Town can either support or not support.
“What we do is basically decide if we support or don't support the tower proposal,” he said.
During a review of the application, the Town would look at the design aspects of the tower and its location, he added.
The Town does not assess any submission in regard to health or frequency exposure issues, he said, or issues not related to location or design of the structure.
According to information available from the Town of Okotoks, the Town cannot prevent a proponent from gaining permission from Industry Canada to install the structure.
