Consultation issues have been prevalent over the years
By Ahmad Hathout
SALT SPRING ISLAND, B.C. – Innovation Canada rejected a challenge earlier this year to a tower build by Rogers Communications in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, after residents complained about the structure and the local land trust committee initially rescinded approval for it. The latest challenge has again put the spotlight on challenges to telecom builds.
On May 31, 2021, Rogers completed a public consultation process for the proposed tower build on the island, with approval from the Salt Spring Island Land Trust Committee (SSLTC) in August of that year. But after receiving complaints from residents during the installation process, the SSLTC rescinded the approval.
Rogers then went to Innovation Canada, which declared that the “consultation was completed in accordance with our policies and requirements,” according to a government note Cartt obtained. The SSLTC was also notified in May this year, and it concurred that the process was properly followed, the note added.
“Since then, ISED has received several communications from a group of local residents alleging that Rogers made false claims, that Rogers was required to use the [land use authority] consultation process from April 2001, and that Rogers hiring of the [redacted] ISED employee [redacted] resulted in a conflict of interest and improperly handling of the file by ISED,” the note goes on.”
ISED said the full review showed nothing improper and the SSLTC “acknowledged that there was no false or misleading information provided by Rogers. The land use authority also “instructed Rogers to follow ISED’s default consultation process as the LUA deemed its 2001 protocol obsolete.” It also denied the conflict-of-interest allegations.
Protests have been held against the build this summer, including blocking the site of the proposed construction site, according to reporting from the Gulf Islands Driftwood
Conflicts between residents, land use authorities and telecoms are an old issue, but it has drawn the attention of Parliamentarians over recent years.
In 2019, then-NDP MP Matthew Dube raised a concern among his constituents about a Telus tower proposed in an environmentally-sensitive area in Otterburn Park in Montreal. Telus and Otterburn Park, at the time, agreed to a temporary moratorium until they could figure out a solution.
Also that year, a tower proposed by Bragg Communications’s Eastlink in a New Brunswick town also went to the Federal Court over allegations the cable company did not do an adequate public consultation. Chief among the concerns, which included the tower devaluing the area, was that ISED delegated its authority to the commission without properly assessing whether a proper consultation was done. It also complained of a lack of correspondence from Eastlink.
That year, a petition surfaced online to stop the construction of a Rogers tower in Kelowna, B.C., because it was being built too close to an elementary school. Another Rogers tower was protested in an Ottawa suburb – also in that year.
Dube said of the issue at the time that there needs to be a rethinking of the public consultation process to balance social concerns, minimize disruptive new builds and hasten the dispute resolution process.
