Five proposed Rogers telecommunications tower sites across Haida Gwaii have cleared another step in the approval process.
The North Coast Regional District voted Aug. 21 to advise Rogers that consultation requirements had been satisfactorily completed for proposed towers at Nadu, Sandspit, Alliford Bay, Tlell and Mayer Lake. The NCRD said nearby property owners and occupants had been notified, a 30-day public comment period was provided and no significant land-use issues were identified through the consultation.
The five towers are part of a larger Rogers plan first brought forward earlier this year to expand wireless service along Highway 16 between Masset and Sandspit. The overall project includes eight new wireless sites, six of which require new tower structures. Proposed tower locations include Nadu, Port Clements, Mayer Lake, Tlell, Alliford Bay and Sandspit.
Rogers has said the expansion is intended to improve wireless coverage along the Highway 16 corridor and bring 4G and 5G service to areas that currently have limited or no Rogers coverage. One of the proposed sites near Mayer Lake, for example, is planned as a 53-metre self-supporting tower carrying both 4G and 5G equipment.
Public consultation on the project began earlier this year, including open houses in Masset, Port Clements and Skidegate. Rogers also accepted written comments from residents and businesses as part of the federal consultation process.
The Port Clements tower follows a separate local process because the Village is its own land-use authority. Rogers has proposed a 53-metre tower at 180 Highway 16, about 750 metres northeast of Port Clements. The tower is also planned to carry 4G and 5G equipment.
The Aug. 21 NCRD resolution does not mean construction will begin immediately. Telecommunications towers are federally regulated through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and local consultation is one part of the approval process.
The latest records do not provide a construction timeline or a date for when the new Rogers service could become available on Haida Gwaii.