To West Vancouver mayor and council:
You frequently have the difficult task of making a decision for the best of the entire community in the face of localized opposition, balancing the greater good against the perceived impact on a few. The cell tower matter is perhaps one of the more challenging examples of this.
After more than 20 years of cellphones, brain cancers have not increased although cellphone use has gone up 6,000 per cent. Although the World Health Organization has, from an abundance of caution, put cellphones on the list of possible causes of cancer, it is at the same level of risk as baby powder, coffee and carpentry.
Balancing this possible low-level risk is the proven fact cellphones save lives. A recent study showed that more than 140 lives are saved for every 100,000 calls to 9-1-1. The most telling aspect of the shaky moral foundation upon which those opposed to these towers stand is their willingness to use cellphone towers to inflict the risk they believe exists on others in the community, but fight vociferously against the towers in their backyard.
After reading many of the letters to council opposing the towers and attending one of the open house meetings, I noted that some said and wrote that their cellphones worked fine so they did not see a need for the towers. No one said, I do not have a cellphone because of the dangers. Not one said, I will give up my cellphone rather than "inflict" these towers on my neighbours. All appeared only too happy to have cell towers in our community and benefit from them as long as they were located near someone else.
When considering the pros and cons of the proposed towers, how much weight should you give to those who make use of cell towers (and by implication accept the need to have them), just not in their backyard?
George Pajari
West Vancouver
