Terence Young, M.P.
Oakville
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Terence’s advice to Oakville Town Council and request for direction in developing a Private Member’s Bill concerning municipal powers when it comes to locating cell towers. May 11, 2012 Dear Member of Council, I am writing to address the matter of cellular towers in Oakville, and want you to know I support greater powers for municipalities in determining where they should be located. This makes perfect sense as municipalities have local authority over all planning, zoning and building permits. After appealing to The Minister of Industry both in person and writing, and consulting with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Chair of C4CA, and many concerned residents, I plan to introduce a Private Member’s Bill or Motion onto the Order Paper of Parliament to help achieve this. I would appreciate the formal advice of Council regarding what power The Town of Oakville requires in order to be able to reject cellular towers that do not meet the requirements of its Interim Protocol on Cellular Towers, a protocol which I support. Although it may not be possible to simply transfer a federal power to a municipality, there should be a way using regulations or legislation to ensure that local authorities can reject inappropriate proposals from cellular suppliers. In the interim, based on the success in Hudson, Quebec at the Supreme Court of Canada on banning pesticides, and GTA municipalities on smoking bylaws, we know municipalities can lead the way on health matters, even when the constitutional power to do so appears to lie elsewhere. I recommend that Council push back at the cellular telephone industry and maintain the 200 metre setback for the placement of cellular towers in Oakville, even though Industry Canada may overrule it if an impasse is reached with a cellular supplier. I will continue to push for Industry Canada to prioritize municipal concerns, and work to address it over time with a Private Member’s Bill. It is my hope that with the help of concerned residents and C4CA, Oakville will become ground zero in Canada for reasonable limits on the placement of cellular towers in our communities. Sincerely, Terence Young
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