The positioning of a cell tower has to do with finding the right spot where it will improve service and finding a land owner willing to sell a piece of their property.
That’s according to SaskTel spokesperson Gord Jacobs in response to complaints from some residents in the R.M. of Aberdeen who do not want a cell tower erected in their area.
The concerned citizens had suggested a separate corner of the quarter section of land where it would be further away and not in the sight line of their homes, which look on to a prairie scene.
It is SaskTel’s understanding, Jacobs says, that the spot where the tower is set to be built is not productive agricultural land, as opposed to the rest of that quarter, and that was the piece of land that was offered for sale.
Jacobs explains that when SaskTel looks for an appropriate location, they also have to find someone willing to sell.
There are federal regulations, including public consultation with information packages distributed to anyone who lives within three times the height of the tower.
One of the topics covered in these packages is the safety aspect for concerns about RF energy emitted by the towers.
Jacobs explains that Health Canada has a limit as to how much any tower can emit, but SaskTel tries to go as low as possible which in many cases is thousands of times lower than the legal threshold.
The R.M. was also sent the information and notice of public consultation was also put in the local paper.
The height and type of tower dictates how much of the land that needs to be bought.
In this case, the tower is just over 76 metres, so the Crown Corporation requires two to three acres.