1) Re. the paper by Magda Havas and Angela Tsiang that was in the April 19 update, Angela asked that, to reduce the amount of spam she gets, only significant comments or questions be sent to the email address in the article.
2) This Earth Day Summit is coming from Zurich which is 8 hours ahead of us in BC. I was told that registrants will receive access to videos of the sessions. Registration is free and available on the link below.
On Earth Day, April 22nd, Miguel Coma and Katie Singer will speak at the European Broadcasting Union’s Sustainability Summit about defining our terms before we call 5G sustainable:
https://tech.ebu.ch/events/sustainability2021
3) Italian Stop 5G Alliance has organized a hunger strike to protest efforts to increase their EMF exposure guidelines to those in the USA and Canada, which are those promoted by ICNIRP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8d54HHxwb4
STOP 5G HUNGER STRIKE
“As of April 17, 2021, there are now over 100 people in a hunger strike in Italy against 5G !
A hunger strike to stop 5G and to stop Italy from loosening their cell tower radiation limits was launched Tuesday 13 April 2021. It will continue until the final Italian parliamentary vote on wireless radiation threshold limits. Italy, along with countries such as China, India, Russia and Switzerland have far more restrictive wireless/cell tower radiation limits compared to the United States, Australia and Japan. However, industry is aggressively working to get these countries to weaken their more restrictive cell tower radiation limits in order to deploy 5G. The vote could change the Italian wireless radiation thresholds from 6 V / m up to 61 V / m.”
https://ehtrust.org/stop-5g-hunger-strike/
4) Another $1 billion for Universal Broadband Fund to build a backbone infrastructure. Will this be to allow communities to have their own fiber optic networks? Or will the telecoms be able to use this publicly funded “backbone” to force wireless into communities?
Ottawa adds $1B to broadband fund for rural, remote communities
“The federal government will add $1 billion to a fund for improving high-speed communications in rural and remote areas of Canada, bringing the total to $2.75 billion by 2026, the Liberals said Monday in their first full budget since the pandemic began last year.
The money is going to the Universal Broadband Fund, which is designed to support the installation of “backbone” infrastructure that connects underserved communities to high-speed internet.”
Letters:
(click on photo to enlarge)
From: 5gfreesaltspring@gmail.com
To: “Tammy Lannan” <tammy@nsswaterworks.ca>, “Michael McAllister” <mrm@murdymcallister.com>, cdixon@nsswaterworks.ca, “Les Howell” <lhowell@nsswaterworks.ca>, “Gary Gagne” <gary@nsswaterworks.ca>, “Sandra Ungerson” <sandra@nsswaterworks.ca>
Sent: April 18, 2021
Subject: Protecting Channel Ridge & the St Mary Lake Watershed
Attention North Salt Spring Waterworks Board:
Michael McAllister,
Chris Dixon,
Les Howell,
Gary Gagne,
Sandra Ungerson
We are a Salt Spring Island grassroots community group with 140 active members. We are writing to express our deep concern about the 131-foot Rogers tower proposed for the Channel Ridge site where your water tower is placed, and to request that you write a letter to the Salt Spring Local Trust Committee asking them to write a letter of non-concurrence for this project.
As revealed in the engineer’s report for this tower, it will house 22 Rogers antennas, at least 6 of which will emit two of the three frequencies Rogers plans to use for their 5G network in Canada. CREST will have one 2-element VHF dipole and one microwave dish on it. Rogers has also said they will invite other commercial providers to add additional antennas to this tower, with no further public consultation required.
Effects on Flora and Fauna
As you are aware, this site is adjacent to a wildlife reserve and is a part of the St Mary Lake watershed. Numerous credible peer-reviewed studies show that wireless signals harm plants and wildlife. As this report by the Director of the United States Department of the Interior shows, cell towers and the signals they emit cause physical injury to birds by collision and have deleterious effects on nesting habits and the health of offspring. This 7 year research study shows that electrosmog disrupts the internal compass migratory birds rely on for orientation. Given the number of waterfowl that use the lake as a part of their migratory route, increasing the electromagnetic radiation in this region is deeply disturbing.
Effects on Health and Safety of Employees
A plethora of peer-reviewed research shows that cellular frequencies cause biological harm and we are very concerned about the wellbeing of North Salt Spring Waterworks District employees who may be required to attend to your water tower, as well as future liability claims that may arise as a result of illnesses attributed to wireless exposure at that site. (Firefighters in California have been granted an exemption from having wireless antennas installed on their fire halls due to the health hazards they pose.)
Here is just one of thousands of examples of science on this issue – a review (found HERE) funded by Switzerland’s Federal Institute of the Environment and the University of Bern and published on April 6, 2021 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences which shows there “is consistent evidence” that wireless radiation at levels much lower than those permitted by Safety Code 6 causes oxidative stress, the precursor to many diseases.
Telecoms are Laying the Groundwork for untested 5G
In March, and with CRD endorsement, Telus applied to the federal Universal Broadband Fund to add 5G antennas to their tower at this same site. (Why a multinational telecom that pays its CEO $16 million a year needs a grant to build its business is another discussion. : )
With Rogers and Telus both emitting high levels of a mix of frequencies at this site, your employees, as well as the public who frequent the area for recreational purposes, along with the residents of the 30 plus homes that are within 500 metres of this location, are at risk for developing any of the conditions science attributes to wireless radiation exposure: cancer, insomnia, headaches, DNA damage, disruption to the brain blood barrier, and more.
Supporting CREST
This tower is being falsely “framed’ as essential to improved emergency services on our island. CREST is not a government or non-profit agency but is a private corporation funded by us, and there is no reason for Salt Spring taxpayers’ dollars to be used in a way that may harm our population and our ecosystems. This project is not cost-effective in the long term. The best solution for our first responders as well as for our island’s safety and well-being is for CREST to build their own tower specific to emergency services only at this site or at another deemed suitable by the LTC, as they planned to do at the Legion in 2019. There is no need for CREST to partner with Rogers, a commercial provider with a business model rooted in profit, not altruism or community care.
Better Cell Service
In terms of the need for better commercial cellular service on the island’s north end – an agent for Rogers has stated Rogers already has a “dozen or so” cellular sites servicing Salt Spring. Given the way cellular signals travel, there is absolutely no guarantee that on a hilly and forested island this tower will be the ”lucky 13th” that will give us complete mobile coverage.
In Closing
Overall, the risks associated with this project far outweigh the benefits. We hope you will write a letter to the SSI LTC at your earliest convenience asking them to abide by the Precautionary Principle and not endorse this project as proposed.
Thanks for your time. Should you have any questions or need for further clarification please don’t hesitate to contact us,
5G-Free SaltSpring
Sharon Noble, Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Theodore Roosevelt