'Reception is awful here': 5 new 5G cell phone towers proposed for Port Stanley, Ont.

Cell phone service in Port Stanley is spotty at best.

When tourists pack the Lake Erie village in summer, it gets worse.

“The reception is ridiculous, and If want to make a phone call, I pretty much have to go outside,” said Ann Stevens, a local business owner and resident. “Then I sound like it is back in the late 1990’s saying, ‘Do you hear me’? Can you hear me?’ It is awful down here.”

That however could soon change. Central Elgin (CE) Council has advised staff to negotiate an agreement with company Shared Tower from the GTA to install five-5G towers around the village.

They would be placed at Main Beach, Erie Rest Beach, Lions Landing Marina, Port Stanley Arena and East Headland.

An overhead map of Port Stanley, Ont. shows the locations of the five-proposed 5G towers. (Source: Municipality of Central Elgin) “I have heard equally from proponents of it and people who are against it,” said Michelle Graham, the CE councillor who represents Port Stanley. “We're looking at all available information and all the research on it so that we can make an informed decision.”

CE Council has heard from those who welcome better service, however there are opponents though.

Resident Jason Froude started a petition, fearing 5G towers pose a threat to public health.

He told CTV News London he believes “the frequency millimeter waves used in 5G technology are a new and untested form of non-ionizing radiation which has been linked to various health issues including headaches, fatigue and sleep disturbances.”

Tech expert Carmi Levy was quick to say there is no science to prove 5G towers are dangerous.

“There has been research done on earlier generations of wireless technology and there is no direct correlation between long term exposures to the emissions from these towers with increased rates of certain diseases,” said Levi.

A rendering of what a 5G tower would look like at East Headland in Port Stanley, Ont. (Source: Shared Tower)Levi added, “The problem with much of the opposition to these is that someone posts something hyperbolic maybe based on a link they found online, but it isn't based on science. It's based on misunderstanding of how electromagnetic emissions work.”

Levy said we live with plenty of other emitting devices, not to mention the risk of needing cell service in an emergency.

“You have a router in your house, you use a microwave, you've got that smartphone in your pocket,” said Levi. “The addition of a couple of cell phone towers in your broader neighborhood isn't going to make much of a difference. In fact, it could be more dangerous if you're on the beach in Port Stanley, an emergency happens and you don't have wireless service.”

Shared Tower is currently doing a similar installation in Oliphant, north of Sauble Beach, Ont. because they had similar service to Port Stanley.

They’ve been following the online petition and the comments on Facebook regarding the Port Stanley tower plan.

The village of Port Stanley, Ont. on Feb. 10, 2023. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)They wanted to clarify the tower is not “right next to Kettle Creek Public School,” but in the far corner of the arena parking lot.

“We ran a safety code six [SC6] study to show the radio frequency exposure at a residential property about 60 m away from the tower — i.e. much closer than the school,” said Daniel Gibbons of Shared Tower when referencing their Oliphant plan.

Gibbons added, “It showed the maximum exposure to be about three per cent of the SC6 limit, assuming all of the equipment operating at maximum power 24/7, which is never the case. The SC6 limit is already 50 times higher than the point at which there could be any adverse effects, so we're confident that there is a very high safety margin for all of these installations.”

Central Elgin staff is now finalizing an agreement with Shared Tower, and once it is complete, they will bring the details to council.

“We'll look at all that information and look at their location and the number of towers and council will vote on that,” said Graham.