1) C4ST’s next open meeting will feature Victor Leach, Oceania Radiofrequency Scientific Advisory Association, discussing ICNIRP. Complete information is in the newsletter at the link below.
Tuesday June 13, 2023 7:30 pm EDT
C4ST Community Meeting – All welcome. Please distribute
Hosted by Shelley Wright and Marg Friesen
Join C4ST Zoom Meeting – https://zoom.us/j/97250411732
https://gem.godaddy.com/p/5f14861
2) Could wearing a wireless device be the reason race horses are dying far more often than ever before at racetracks in the USA? Arthur Firstenberg poses this question.
(click on photos to enlarge)
RACEHORSES AT CHURCHILL DOWNS
“Racehorses are among the most finely tuned, exquisitely sensitive creatures on earth. So what happens when you give them all cell phones to wear during a race? They start dropping like… well, horses….
The spring meet this year at the Downs began on April 29 and was to continue until July 3. And beginning on April 29, and in every race on every day thereafter, every horse was fitted with a device they had never worn before. It is a wireless device, shaped like an iPhone, that fits into the cloth underneath the saddle on the horse’s back. Horses also began wearing these devices this spring during morning workouts.
This STRIDESafe device monitors the horse’s movements 2,400 times per second throughout the race, sending 2,400 pulses of radio frequency (RF) radiation every second through the body of the horse.”
https://cellphonetaskforce.org/racehorses-at-churchill-downs
3) Some suggestions from our friends in Australia about what can be done to help reduce the EMF levels for those who suffer EHS.
World EHS Day – June 16
“A large and growing number of people around the world are affected by it, there are support groups in many countries to help sufferers, and it was recently the subject of a workshop hosted by the European Parliament.
June 16 is World EHS Day, an opportunity to recognise the condition and do something about it.”
https://preview.mailerlite.com/y2n5v7w8e4/2233759701651166497/p2x6/
Letters:
From: “VISTA – Vancouver Island Safe Tech Alliance” <VISafeTechAlliance@proton.me>
Sent: Friday, June 9, 2023 4:59:58 PM
Subject: UPDATE on proposed 1388 Ellenor Road Telus tower: CVRD EASC Meeting June 5
UPDATE on proposed 1388 Ellenor Road Telus tower:
On Monday June 5, 2023, representatives from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), the federal ministry that sites cell towers across Canada, made a brief presentation (by Zoom) to the CVRD Electoral Areas Service Committee (EASC). EASC had asked ISED to provide a general overview of the process for siting new antenna supporting structures, including engagement with First Nations.
It was clear that the CVRD Board hoped that this ISED presentation would pave the way for the EASC to grant concurrence for the proposed 1388 Ellenor Road Telus tower, as was recommended in the CVRD Staff Report back in March, 2023:
“The first option is to grant a letter of concurrence. Language will be included in the letter to encourage that public health measures be addressed, opportunities for future co-location of antennas be provided, a Qualified Environmental Professional be involved to mitigate environmental impacts, K’ómoks First Nation be engaged regarding the possible need for a Cultural Heritage Investigation Permit, and that the preference to locate the structure in the northeastern portion of the property be further explored. Staff will send all correspondence received to ISED for their consideration” (from March 2, 2023 CVRD Staff Report)
Note the verb tenses used in this recommendation—they want concurrence granted even though conditions have not yet been met.
The consensus of VISTA members who attended the June 5 EASC meeting was that there wasn’t much new; ISED’s presentation was full of the same government talking points we are familiar with: “demand for wireless connectivity increasing across Canada…, telecommunications companies want to “enhance their wireless network”, “land use authorities are better suited to determine where these towers should be located”, proponents “comply with Safety Code 6 to make sure any radiation coming from the towers is still safe for Canadians”, we expect the land use authority “to consult with the public and address any reasonable and relevant concerns”, there is a lot of “misinformation on the internet and a lot of the people who have probably spoken to you are looking at this same information”…, “we are not health experts”, etc.
CVRD Chair Rich Hardy asked how to go about addressing the public’s concerns around the environment and health (please congratulate him for asking a relevant question!) and, of course, ISED cited compliance with Safety Code 6. What no one brought up was the fact that no RF-EMR safety limit exists in Canada for animals and the environment. Safety Code 6 only applies to humans (and the evidence overwhelmingly shows it is NOT protective for humans, contrary to what Health Canada claims).
ISED said the proponent is responsible for meeting the requirements of the Impact Assessment Act (which they said applies to installations on federal land). (For those who are interested, attached is a letter from a VISTA member to the federal Minister of the Environment arguing that the IAA should apply to the Ellenor tower. The Minister has failed to respond to this letter.)
Bernie Ries (ISED Operations Manager, STS-Western Region) said: Safety Code 6 (SC6) is a Health Canada “requirement.” This is an untrue statement and he should know that. Health Canada Safety Code 6 is a recommendation, but ISED has adopted it, so that’s what gives SC6 power.
Meeting Outcome:
Chair Rich Hardy (Area B) asked about impacts on fish (there is a salmon-bearing stream on the 1388 Ellenor Rd property). It appears that the Little River Enhancement Society (LRES) must have reached out to the CVRD because Director Hardy referred to them during the meeting (kudos to the LRES!). It’s why, in the end, he and Director Arbour were able to delay the vote in order to consult with DFO and Environment Canada before making a decision; Edwin Grieve (Area C) was pushing for a vote.
To watch June 5 EASC meeting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzCKvFkKw5I
Please contact the CVRD Area Directors with your feedback and questions (both for the Area Directors and relevant questions for them to ask Telus and ISED):
Rich Hardy, Area Director (Area B) – Proposed 62 Meter Telus Tower at 1388 Ellenor Road, Comox
Tel: 250-703-1969 / Email: RichHardyAreaB@gmail.com
Edwin Grieve, Area Director (Area C) – Proposed 43 Meter Telus Tower at 3505 Dove Creek Road, Courtenay
Tel: 250-337-8558 Cell phone: 250-218-1385 / Email: edwingrieve@shaw.ca
Daniel Arbour, Area Director (Area A) – Proposed 63 Meter Rogers Tower on Hornby Island (Provincial Crown Land) Tel: 250-650-8480 / Email: reachme@danielarbour.ca
Note: Islands Trust is the voting party for Hornby Island.
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS TO ASK:
1) Look at VISTA’s attached “List of Unanswered Questions”
2) Why is Planning Services pushing for granting concurrence BEFORE all the conditions have been met. Wouldn’t it make more sense to require the proponent to meet the conditions first?
3) Ask ISED/DFO/Environment Canada how they can assess safety for animals and the environment when Canada does not have an RF-EMF safety limit for non-human organisms.
4) ‘Demand’ is the cited need for the tower – how is demand measured? Is the marketing and sales department involved in creating the demand verbage, is it based on the number of devices sold – just what exactly is the unit of measurement?
5) To Bernie Ries’ statement that there is “a lot of misinformation on the internet”, where are the referenced studies/proof to counter the thousands of peer reviewed studies showing harm from wireless technologies from previous generations (2G-4G) until now?
6) To Bernie’s statement that they are not health experts, why didn’t they bring a health expert to address the public’s health concerns? Why doesn’t ISED, the regulatory body, have any interest or knowledge about the possible health impacts of the technology they promote and regulate?
7) Can you tell us how much profit ISED and Telecom make from each cell tower?
8) Do local city authorities also make money from these transactions?
9) Reinforce to the CVRD Area Directors that they DO have the authority to write a letter of non-concurrence and go against the Staff Report’s recommendation. Their authority to do so is stated right on p.1 of the CVRD’s own Telecommunication Antenna System Application and Consultation Process Policy, P89.
10) Questions to Ask re Ground Currents (Magda Havas has done much work on this):
There are big power cables required to power these cell towers. Where do those cables go exactly, where are the surveyor’s drawings? Will they run underground, under people’s homes or a farm?
If asking DFO and Environment Canada if there are any concerns, shouldn’t they know where the power is also being run to properly assess fish in the surrounding area and how they can be affected by RF and magnetic fields? These power lines will emit a magnetic field – this is really important to know. Environment Canada isn’t looking at this.
11) Where is the proof this technology is necessary, safe and effective? Why aren’t we establishing this BEFORE going ahead with the project?
12) FLOOD PLAINS: Later in the agenda of the June 5 meeting, Daniel Arbour talked about the CVRD knowing the risks of flood plains and being uncomfortable with granting exclusions and the obligation to warn people about said risks. Why isn’t the same precautionary principle being applied to cell towers? VISTA has provided ample evidence. They’ve been informed …yet there are still RF-EMR exclusions in insurance policies …
If we all just do ONE THING—whether it’s making a phone call or sending an email or showing up to watch the EASC discuss this issue, then we can continue to make a difference. We believe that our amazing community involvement is what has held off this decision to date. Let’s keep it up!
Thank you, everyone!
The VISTA Team
Sharon Noble, Director, Citizens for Safer Tech
“Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind.” Theodore Roosevelt
Sent from my wired laptop with no wireless components. Practice Safe Tech.