Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
There are no bars in tranquil New Denver, B.C. - cellphone bars that is. Tucked in the West Kootenay mountains, the picturesque hamlet is one of the few remaining populated spots in Canada where you'll never hear the ring tone of a mobile phone.
That's the way most people liked it. But last year, modern times caught up to New Denver, a village of just under 600 people. Despite a referendum that narrowly backed a cellphone ban, telecommunications provider Telus pushed ahead. Ottawa sided with Telus and it began plans to install an antenna this spring.
Now, an environmental committee and a group of parents have banded together to launch a sequel to the cellphone drama. The Valhalla Committee and the parents say they're considering suing Telus, arguing that electromagnetic radiation emitted from the proposed transmission tower - as well as from the phones themselves - pose health risks to the community, particularly children,
Citing studies from the United States and Europe, the group says mounting research suggests cellphone use can cause brain damage, especially among children. Cellphone-tower transmissions can also cause health damage, they say.
"What are we supposed to do? Let our children be guinea pigs?" asked Susan Yurychuck, a mother of two, who collected 44 signatures for a petition she presented to the village council Tuesday night. "Shampoo goes through more rigorous testing than cellphones ever did."
New Denver's greatest ambassador for keeping the village free of cellphones is Mayor Gary Wright, still smarting from Ottawa's ruling last December that gave Telus the go-ahead to build the tower. Two years ago, the town voted 117 to 110 against cellphones in a referendum. But transmission towers fall under federal jurisdiction and eventually Industry Canada sided with Telus.
Mr. Wright said that ruling was a blow to local municipalities.
"I still absolutely feel that local municipalities should have control over these things," he said.
"I strongly believe that communities should be able to make decisions about their own future, and how they will develop."
But cellphone proponents say they're fed up with the town's aversion to wireless technology and say it's time the town joined the 21st century.
Resident Dave Good said opponents are a vocal minority, noting that a Facebook group supporting cellphones has nearly 400 members.
A continued ban would mean New Denver, which is already struggling economically, will get left behind, Mr. Good said, adding that Mr. Wright's anti-cellphone tirades make the town look backward.
"We do have a bit of a Luddite mayor," he said.
"If you want young people to come live here who are young and looking for work, well, they have to have the tools of their trade."
Telus spokesman Shawn Hall dismissed the health concerns raised by the New Denver activists as "junk science," noting that Health Canada regulates where cellphone towers can be constructed. Mr. Hall accused opponents of bullying people who want change.
"Some who have spoken in favour of the tower have been threatened with lawsuits, which runs contrary to freedom of speech," he said.
He said many businesses in New Denver have said the cellphone ban is a hindrance.
"We've heard from dozens of businesses, asking us to bring the tower in, particularly tourism operators that tell us that they're losing thousands of dollars a year because of tourists who won't come to New Denver on vacation."