PUBLIC NOTIFICATION PACKAGE SPIRIT RIVER, AB

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1 PUBLIC NOTIFICATION PACKAGE SPIRIT RIVER, AB

2 Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials in this publication, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from Environment and Climate Change Canada's copyright administrator. To obtain permission to reproduce Government of Canada materials for commercial purposes, apply for Crown Copyright Clearance by contacting: Environment and Climate Change Canada Public Inquiries Centre 7th Floor, Fontaine Building 200 Sacré-Coeur Boulevard Gatineau QC K1A 0H3 Telephone: Toll Free: (in Canada only) Photos: Environment and Climate Change Canada Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 2017 Page 1 of 12

3 Table of Contents Section 1 Overview & Purposes Project Background Project Description Implementation Approach and Schedule Continuous weather services during the replacement process... 5 Section 2 Radar Location... 5 Section 3 Access/demarcation measures to control public access... 6 Section 4 Attestation... 6 Section 5 Environmental Assessment... 7 Section 6 Technical Description Radar Description Dual polarization: a leading-edge technology Extended tornado-detection range Better serving weather-sensitive industries Radar Structure Transport Canada's aeronautical obstruction marking requirements... 9 Section 7 Public and Land-Use-Authority Consultation Requirements Land-Use Authority Consultation process Public Consultation Process:... 9 Section 9 Contact Information Annexes Page 2 of 12

4 Section 1 Overview & Purposes 1.1 Project Background The Canadian Weather Radar Replacement Program is a seven-year federal infrastructure program to replace Canada s existing aging network with modern new radars aimed at better informing Canadians of changing weather, water and climate conditions and giving them more time to take cover and to protect their families and property from severe weather. Environment and Climate Change Canada s Meteorological Service of Canada (ECCC MSC) has provided Canadians with up-to-date information about the weather for over 140 years. Meteorological radars are an important tool for diagnosing and forecasting some of the most severe and damaging weather that occurs in Canada. Most of the infrastructure and hardware in the network is beyond its 25 year life expectancy and is no longer supportable. The network has radars of several different generations, with some of them years old. To revitalize Canada s weather services, the Government of Canada is investing in its weather forecasting infrastructure to further strengthen Canada s meteorological services through new federal infrastructure investments in radars. Canada s radars network currently has 31 radars, including 2 radars operated in partnership with the Department of National Defence and 1 owned by McGill University. A contract has been awarded to buy and install 20 new radars by March 31, The contract also contains options to install up to 13 additional radars within the same timeframe. As part of this project,the new radar network will include a new radar in the lower Athabasca region and a training radar. 1.2 Project Description To install a new weather radar system at the existing location of the Spirit River Weather Radar and remove the old radar tower (decommissioning). The new Spirit River radar will provide coverage for the Grande Prairie Area in Alberta. Page 3 of 12

5 1.3 Implementation Approach and Schedule The replacement of the Canadian Radar Network will follow a ramp up approach. The first radar was installed in December 2017 and the others will be replaced at a rate of four to seven per year. Several factors are taken into account to determine the radar replacement order and schedule. This includes current operational stability, local severe weather frequency, location, and access to the radar sites. System design and construction plans could also influence the decision-making process. Construction for the Spirit River radar is expected to begin in the summer of 2018 and to be operational by the end of the same year. Based on the work required, the Implementation activities will be divided into four phases: Phases and Activities a. Obtain the radiocommunication licence a. Agreement from "Land-Use Authority Date (Estimated) No Later Than (NLT) End of May 2018 b. Public Consultation 30 Jan 2 March 2018 c. NAVCAN and Transport Canada Approval NLT End of May 2018 b. Site Preparation a. Modification to existing fencing layout TBC b. Upgrade to power and telecommunication systems (as June 2018 required) c. Construction & Installation a. Excavation & Foundation 2 Jul 6 Aug 2018 b. Tower Erection 6 Aug - 2 Sep 2018 c. New Radar Installation 3 Sep 12 Oct 2018 d. Physical Security Measures i. Signage, lighting and Camera Sep 2018 ii. Final Fencing Sep 2018 d. Decommissioning a. Old radar no longer operational End of July (TBC) b. Remove and dispose old radome and radar systems End of July (TBC) c. Remove and dispose old tower End of July (TBC) d. Remove and dispose old shelter End of July (TBC) Page 4 of 12

6 1.4 Continuous weather services during the replacement process Before the new radar is commissioned, the old radar will have to be turned off. As we do for regular maintenance and unexpected technical problems, we will continue to provide weather services by using data from neighbouring radars since, wherever possible, the coverage of the radars has been designed to overlap. Weather forecasters also use satellite images, surface weather stations, lightning detectors and sophisticated computer models to monitor severe weather conditions. The scheduling of radar replacements will take into account seasonal severe weather periods to ensure minimal disruption and every effort will be made to minimize downtime. We will continue to use the Status of Canadian Radar Network page to inform you. Section 2 Radar Location The radar will be located at the following address: LS3, SW 1/4 Sec 30, Twp 77, Rng 08, W6M, Rycroft, AB T0H 3A0. The geographic coordinates of the proposed radar site are: 55 41'41.71 N, '50.20"W (ref Google.ca/maps/). Spirit River Radar Site Page 5 of 12

7 Section 3 Access/demarcation measures to control public access For safety reasons, access to the Radar will be limited to ECCC s employees, and contractors. Fencing (3 meter high) will be installed to ensure that physical security and integrity is maintained at all time. In addition to fencing, a security camera will be installed on site with proper lighting. Finally signage will be installed to inform the public to stay outside the perimeter of the fence. The diagram below shows the radar site layout to be built at the Spirit River Site. All area inside the fence will be restricted to public access. Section 4 Attestation ECCC attests that the radio installation described in this notification package will be installed and operated on an ongoing basis so as to comply with Health Canada s Safety Code 6 in all modes of operation. In addition to the main contractor simulation during design phase, ECCC mandated a 3 rd party engineering firm to perform the calculations and computer modelling that demonstrate compliance with Safety Code 6. Once the weather radar is operational, on-site measurements will be performed to confirm modelling results. This compliance with Safety Code 6 is an ongoing obligation. Therefore, ECCC will conduct measurements of exposure levels through the radar s operational life. ECCC`s weather radars could also be subject to compliance audits at any time by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISEDC). Access to areas with hazardous levels of RF radiation will be restricted through locked access points and monitored interlock switches to disable the radar if access is breached. The perimeter fence of the radar site will include warning signage in compliance with ISEDC guidelines. Page 6 of 12

8 Section 5 Environmental Assessment Canadian Environmental Assessment Act of 2012 pertains to the determination of whether there will likely be significant negative environmental effects if a project is to proceed. Due to the nature of radar installations, it has been determined that these do not pose significant environmental effects under the said Act. In regards to Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), it has been determined that it is not required for the Spirit River site since: the new radar tower will be erected on the same parcel of land as the old radar; and it is not considered as a new real estate transaction under Treasury Board Policy on Management of Real Property. In addition, ECCC has internal environmental guidelines established. These guidelines will be followed to ensure best practices are applied. The site is not within 30 meters of a water body and will not release any polluting substance. To ensure operation of the weather radar during critical periods of severe weather, a back-up diesel generator will be installed on site. The fuel cell for this generator will comply with all applicable regulations and will be inspected as part of the sites regular bi-annual maintenance. Remote monitoring will be used to detect leaks and unauthorized access to the fuel storage. Section 6 Technical Description 5.1 Radar Description The new Spirit River radar will continue to provide coverage for the Grande Prairie Area in Alberta. It will consist of a 28-metre open lattice steel tower with a 11-metre height radome at the top (sphere housing the antenna), for a total height of approximately 41 metres including lightning protection rods. It will operate at a frequency of 2820Mhz (S band). Beside is a diagram of the tower design. Page 7 of 12

5.2 Dual polarization: a leading-edge technology These state-of-the-art radars will have fully integrated dualpolarization technology, which will enable forecasters to better distinguish between

9 5.2 Dual polarization: a leading-edge technology These state-of-the-art radars will have fully integrated dualpolarization technology, which will enable forecasters to better distinguish between rain, snow, hail, and freezing rain as well as better discern the size, shape, and variety of precipitation particles. This technology will also enable better identification and removal of non-meteorological targets such as birds, bugs, and debris from the data. As a result, ECCC will issue more precise and timely weather watches and warnings for these significant weather events, giving Canadians more lead time to take appropriate actions to protect themselves, their family, and their property from the effects of severe weather. 5.3 Extended tornado-detection range The new radars will also have an extended severe-weather detection range to cover more of Canada, increasing the Doppler range to 240 kilometres per radar from the current 120 kilometres. Doubling the Doppler range will give Canadians greater lead time to protect themselves and their families from tornadoes and other severe weather. Extending Doppler coverage of the weather-radar network will also allow for better overlap of neighbouring radars in case of an outage. 5.4 Better serving weather-sensitive industries Economic sectors sensitive to weather events such as agriculture, natural resources, fisheries, construction, aviation, tourism, transportation, retail, and investors will benefit from higher data quality and consistency for severe-weather events as weather information is an important part of their strategic planning. For example, weather-radar imagery is used to help in safely routing planes around severe weather. The improved weather-data quality will also allow for more effective use of the information in other areas, such as water management, as radar images are used to understand the effects of precipitation on drainage basins, in particular in support of flood forecasting by provinces. 5.5 Radar Structure Structural adequacy will be verified by a third party in order to respect good engineering practices and ensure public safety. Preliminary structural drawings can be found in Annex B. General information relating to antenna systems and siting in Canada is available on Industry Canada's Spectrum Management and Telecommunications website ( Page 8 of 12

10 5.6 Transport Canada's aeronautical obstruction marking requirements ECCC is required to coordinate tower markings with Transport Canada, who perform an assessment of the proposed construction with respect to potential hazards to air navigation. Given the location and height of the Spirit River Weather Radar, special lighting or tower painting requirements are to be confirmed by Transport Canada, however ECCC will voluntarily include dual steady burning low intensity red LED lights on the top of the tower as this is standard practice for all weather radar sites. Section 7 Public and Land-Use-Authority Consultation Requirements To obtain the licence to operate the radars, ECCC must also complete Public and Land-Use Authority (LUA) Consultation processes. The expectations are that the two processes will normally be completed within 120 days from official launch. ECCC will follow Saddle County Policy PD 05 Wireless Communications Tower Policy dated from 10 January Land-Use Authority Consultation process The objectives of this process are to discuss site options, ensure that local processes related to antenna systems are respected, address reasonable and relevant concerns from both the LUA and the community they represent, and obtain LUA concurrence in writing. To ECCC s understanding, the exact approach is flexible as long as the objectives are met and the written concurrence is obtained. The 120-day consultation period commences only once ECCC have formally submitted, in writing, all plans required by the land-use authority, and does not include preliminary discussions with land-use authority representatives. The aim of this consultation is to: a. discuss site options; b. ensure that local processes related to antenna systems are respected; c. address reasonable and relevant concerns (see Section 4.2) from both the land-use authority and the community they represent; and d. obtain land-use authority concurrence in writing. For this location, the Land-Use Authority is the Saddle Hills County. 6.2 Public Consultation Process: ECCC will follow Saddle Hills County Policy PD 05 Wireless Communications Tower Policy dated from 10 January The following steps will be followed: 1. provides written notification of the proposed antenna system installation or modification (i.e. public notification) to the public, the LUA and ISEDC; 2. establishes a public notification and public consultation process to: a. solicit comments on proposed communication towers, b. provide an opportunity for applicants to engage in meaningful public c. consultation with affected residents and property owners, d. address reasonable and relevant concerns; Page 9 of 12

11 3. hand delivering a notification package to all residents who reside within a distance equaling four times the tower height and offering to discuss the proposed tower (if applicable) mailing or hand delivering a notification package to all landowners/residents within a two (2) kilometer radius of the tower, subject to the above (other than Governement of Alberta, if applicable) Publishing newspaper advertisements in a locally distributed paper for at least two consecutive weeks and allowing at least 30 days for written public comments. 6. providing a summary record to the County of issues and concerns along with the applicant s responses; Following publication of the public notification, the public will then have a period of thirty (30) days from the date of the Public notice to provide written comments. ECCC must acknowledge receipt in writing within 14 days and must respond to all questions, comments or concerns received within 60 days. A copy of the public notice is attached to this document in Annex A and will be published in the Rycroft Central Peace Signal Newspaper on January 30 th, The notice is published in accordance with ISEDC s Radiocommunication and Broadcasting Antenna Systems process (CPC ). More details on the consultation requirement processes can be found on the ISEDC web site: 1 Saddle Hills County to provide residents list to ECCC if applicable. 2 Saddle Hills County to provide landowners/residents list to ECCC as applicable. Page 10 of 12

12 Section 9 Contact Information More information on radar can be found on the ECCC Web site : Proponent Sylvain Laramée Director - Canadian Weather Radar Replacement Program Environment Climate Change Canada 800 rue de la Gauchetière, office 7810 Montréal, Québec, H5A 1L9 ec.prrmc-cwrrp.ec@canada.ca Land-Use Authority Office - Saddle Hills County Gwen Charlton, Development Officer - Saddle Hills County Junction of Hwy 49 and Hwy Rge Rd 84 RR 1 Spirit River, Alberta, TOH 3GO Telephone : ext GCharlton@saddlehills.ab.ca Land Owner Representative Government of Alberta Lorelei Gamroth Approvals & Disposition Services Unit - Provincial Programs Branch Environment & Parks, 5th Floor, Street Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2G8 Telephone : Lorelei.Gamroth@gov.ab.cac Regional Office - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Steven Seltenrich Manager, Manager, Spectrum Services, Northern Alberta District, Spectrum Management Operations 9700 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 4C3 Telephone : steven.seltenrich@canada.ca Page 11 of 12

13 Annexes Annex A: Newspaper Notice Annex B: Tower infrastructure civil drawing Annex C: Draft LUA Concurrence Letter Page 12 of 12

MSC Monitoring Renewal Project. CMOS 2012 Montreal, Quebec Thursday, May 31 Martin Elie on behalf of Dave Wartman

MSC Monitoring Renewal Project CMOS 2012 Montreal, Quebec Thursday, May 31 Martin Elie on behalf of Dave Wartman Presentation Overview Context Monitoring Renewal Components Conclusions Q & A Page 2 Context