Residents have complained about the location and potential health impact of the 5G tower
Lakeshore wants the location of a new telecommunications tower to go back to the drawing board, again.
The original placement for the 50-metre tower was along the roadside at 460 Puce Rd. in Maidstone.
Rogers Communications is interested in using the tower to improve poor coverage in the area.
After a public consultation in February of 2018, that location was pushed back 200-metres from the road.
The public wasn't happy with that location either and the proposal was pushed back to 400-metres and brought to council more than a year later.
A resident came to council claiming to represent several of his neighbours, all concerned over the health effects of 5G technology.
He pointed out the 400-metre distance wasn't consistent between the tower and surrounding properties and council agreed to put off endorsing the new location again.
Ward 2 Councillor Len Janisse calls "not in my back yard" is a fair argument for residents.
"We have to watch where we move it because we do have residents off County Rd. 42. I don't think we're close enough to that, but still, at the same time let's do our homework and make sure we're not moving the problem into somebody else's back yard," he says.
Janisse says he's no expert, but he can't see how moving the tower a few hundred feet further would hurt.
"Everybody's on cells, internet's a problem in some areas and this is identifying a problem area that we have," Janisse says. "At the same time, I don't know the facts and the math behind it, but certainly, movement of 400 or 500-ft., does it affect somebody's phone call that seriously?"
The federal government through Industry Canada has the final say on the tower placement, but looks to work with local authorities to find suitable locations.
According to the report, the town isn't authorized to refuse tower submission's based on, "perceived impacts on human health."
The government has established radio frequency exposure limits.