Subject: Another victory (for now) (Ferguson)..
Date: Tue, 9 May 2000 110923 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Roy L. Beavers"
To: emfguru
--------------------------------------------------
........Jim is encouraged by the help he received on EMF-L.....
Jim - you have every right to require them to produce evidence of
their insurance coverage!!! Your local "officials" ought to do that -
and then YOUR attorney ought to read it to determine WHAT it actually
would cover......!!
I have no doubt that they have insurance of SOME kind.
......I doubt that "the fine print" would cover EMF personal and property
liabilities (including punitive damages)..... Of course, that is more
THEIR problem than yours - but it does have an effect upon what your
people might get in a showdown.....
It is too easy to "gloss over" something like that in those community
meetings..... The way to actually negotiate these things - which your
local officials **should** do - is to sit down around a table with city
attorney present (city council table or lawyers office) and submit
**written** evidence and make a record all that transpires....
They will say all sorts of things at those public meetings -- which they
wouldn't DARE say in a formal **transcribed** meeting..... I've even
heard of such meetings being done **under oath**....
I see that the "usual suspect" - Maria Stuchly - showed up.....
(Somebody ought to offer her a "one way" fare back to Europe, Germany
I believe..... It is as we have noted before, industry "trots out"
the same old hired guns in these situations -- surprising that Moulder
wasn't trotted out....?? He has been busy lately...... Sounds like
he is making lots o' $$$$$$$$.)
(Also, I see that once again ... industry has reneged on earlier promises
not to put more antennas up in the same place.....!!!!!)
Cheerio...... (Thanks, Jim, for the good report....)
Roy Beavers (EMFguru)
roy@emfguru.com
.....It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.....
NEW!!! Website... http://emfguru.com
...................People are more important than profits.................
DO YOU KNOW OF OTHERS WHO SHOULD BE ON THIS LIST???
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 9 May 2000 07:21:07 -0700
From: Jim Ferguson
To: "Roy L. Beavers"
Subject: Another victory (for now)
Hi Roy - wanted to share this with you.
Attended a Saanich Council meeting last evening (May 8, 2000) to hear the
approval of a 'master plan' and the replacement of an existing tower with a
higher tower. (Saanich is a municipality in the Capital Regional District
in Victoria British Columbia)
About 150-170 residents were in attendance along with 8-10 industry
representatives. The industry had their strategy laid out. First up were
two industry spokesmen in favour of the proposal followed by a number of
residents. At one point a researcher from the University of Victoria stood
up and presented himself as an 'expert' and spoke in defense of Dr. Stuchly
and her calculations on the tower in question. A couple of more residents
got up to speak - when it appeared that nobody was ready to speak the
industry sent in their heavy hitter - a Vice President. A point he wanted
to emphasis was the independence of the industry and research.
I couldn't contain myself - so I was able to follow him and using
information from your archives (my note of March 11th and Colette O'Connell
of March 14th) was able to provide information on the connection of the
Wireless Information Resource Centre (WIRC) and Canadian Wireless
Telecommunications Association (CWTA). The information from Colette was
helpful in that it made the connection of the 'expert' Dr. Stuchly and her
vested interest in the source of funding and her connection to the industry
as well as her military research.
A number of issues came up - the Health issue - the Toronto standard was
held up as something to be measured against - questions were asked of the
industry in terms of their equipment - seems to me they couldn't answer the
question.
It was stated on a number of occasions - the attitude the cell providers
took towards the people in the neighborhood. Heavy handed, arrogant,
disrespectful were a few that come to mind.
The issues of esthetics and impact on the pristine rural community were a
major item. The proposed tower violated the municipality master plan in
terms of preserving park space.
A number of people had purchased property in the expectation that the towers
(there is one already there) would expand and felt betrayed. Motorola had
placed the original tower over 10 years ago. An agreement was reached at
that time that there would not be any expansion - between Motorola and the
municipality. Rogers (the current cell carrier) were reminded of their
obligation to honor the commitments of the previous owner.
The effect on birds, the flashing lights, the strobe lights were all issues
that came up.
The question was asked about insurance in the event that the tower was found
to cause illness, cancer etc. The response was that as long as the industry
conformed to Government Standards their (the companies) Public Liability
insurance covered them. (I'm not clear on this - does it mean they are
covered or because they conform that they are released of responsibility).
I was pleased with the resolve of the neighbors to come together and oppose
the tower. They recognize that the fight is not over and that the struggle
will continue.
The Council of the District of Saanich is to be commended for their
thoughtfulness and serious consideration to the arguments put before them
and arriving at their decision. They are between a rock and a hard place.
On the one hand protecting our community we live in while on the other
responding to changes in society.
I wanted to share this success with you Roy (and other's on the list) and
acknowledge your contribution to the cause.
What appears to be an innocuous contribution to the list and then filed in
the archives can be a powerful weapon in the fight.
Jim Ferguson
Victoria, B.C.
"Be careful with puns, remember to always practice safe lex and use a
conundrum."
Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.emfguru.com