By Steve Hubrecht
Invermere council has changed direction once again on the proposed cell phone tower near the arena. The issue has gone back and forth, and now back again.
Rogers Communication Inc. had been planning for awhile to put up a new cell tower somewhere in or near Invermere. These efforts became public several years ago when council nixed a formal request from Rogers to put the tower next to the Windermere Valley Child Care Society’s daycare.
That wasn’t the first location Rogers examined, as eight other potential spots have also been rejected for various reasons. Then in mid-2024, the company launched public consultation, putting the 25 metre-high monopole up in a triangular slice of District of Invermere-owned land to the north of Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena.
Consultation continued through the summer and fall, with many neighbourhood residents raising concerns about the planned pole’s proximity to their homes, to the farmers’ market, to downtown businesses, and to an osprey nest. A minority of residents gave positive feedback.
Council initially appeared to be against the arena location, outlining opinions to that effect during a December 2024 committee of the whole meeting. They asked Rogers to find somewhere else.
But councillors had a change of heart in February, following a presentation from Rogers and Cypress Land Services representative Justin Rockafellow.
He hinted that if council turned down the pole at the arena, Rogers may give up on a new cell tower altogether, telling councillors that “on our side, it’s an area (Invermere) that’s been pretty much exhausted … I don’t know if there’ll be any other options in terms of improving coverage in the next five to 10 years.”
After the presentation, council members voted, somewhat reluctantly, to accept the chosen downtown location.
Then last week came one more twist as council did another U-turn on the matter. Invermere mayor Al Miller had missed the February meeting, felt strongly about the issue, and wanted to revisit it. Councillor Kayja Becker felt similar, and made a motion during the April 8 council meeting to vote on the issue again. Council voted four to one to reconsider the issue; they then voted unanimously to ask Rogers to keep looking at other options, particularly the possibility of having the cell phone tower on private land, or on the other side of Lake Windermere.
“It was a little bit of a selfish move” to seek a revote just because he had missed the first vote, Miller later told the Pioneer, but he added he feels justified because of the strong opinions he’s heard about the arena location.
“Nobody is terribly happy with where it is proposed …I believe Rogers has not exhausted all options. I want to see them have a re-look,” Miller told the Pioneer. “We need a (new cell) tower, no doubt. We need the communications. But in that spot (by the arena) it is an obstruction … we want to see what other opportunities there are.”
Councillor Gerry Taft outlined that it’s a tricky topic.
“If you don’t live in that neighbourhood you may think ‘let’s just make a decision and get this done’. But if you live in that neighbourhood, you probably really don’t like it,” Taft told the Pioneer. “My personal opinion is that it will be very difficult to find a location that will please everybody.”
Looking southeast at the cell tower site 110 metres away.
SCREENSHOT
