Rough reception for Rogers cell tower proposed in Ravenna

A cellphone tower being proposed on an agricultural property in Ravenna — about 20 minutes west of Collingwood — is not being greeted with open arms by local neighbours.

On Oct. 1, Town of the Blue Mountains council held a public meeting about a proposal to build a new Rogers cellphone tower near Ravenna. Rogers is proposing to locate a new 90-metre guyed tower on a rural property owned by former town deputy mayor Duncan McKinlay.

The public meeting on the matter drew a significant crowd to the council chambers, with many speakers expressing opposition to the tower proposal.

Concerns raised at the meeting included local views being disrupted, property values decreasing and health issues from the equipment used on the tower.

A number of speakers questioned the necessity of the tower and suggested the infrastructure could be located on other towers in the nearby area.

The federal government is the approval authority for the project. The Blue Mountains council does not make a decision on the matter, other than to express its support or opposition to the project. The town has a public consultation process in place for communications towers, which prompted the public meeting.

Rogers representative Victoria McKay attended the meeting virtually and made an extensive presentation to council about the proposal.

McKay explained that before proposing a new tower, the company looked at all available options including: if other area towers could be used or if there were tall enough structures in the coverage area to host the equipment. She said in this case, the closest nearby tower is five kilometres away, which would not work for the coverage area. In addition, there are no high-rise buildings or tall agricultural/farming structures nearby.

McKay said the goal is to build a new tower to maximize reception coverage and cause the least disruption.

“We’re trying to have as small of a footprint as possible. We’re trying to not negatively impact the community,” she said.

McKay’s presentation included graphics that illustrated the significant coverage improvements the tower would bring should it be built.

McKinlay also spoke briefly at the meeting. He said he was “initially reluctant” about the tower idea when approached by Rogers. However, he noted that it is his understanding that a “substantially taller tower” would have to be located in the area if his property wasn’t the host. McKinlay said he felt the visual impacts of the tower were minimized at his property and he thanked the speakers for attending the meeting and expressing their concerns.

Council made no decision on the matter at the meeting, and Coun. Shawn McKinlay declared a conflict on the matter and excused himself from the public meeting. A full staff report with a recommendation will come to council for consideration at a future meeting.