132 Imperial Road North Bay, Ontario P1A 4M5. Subject: Tower Site Proposed for Trout Lake, 1427 Owl s Nest Road, Township of Hoskin

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Sophia Watts
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1 132 Imperial Road North Bay, Ontario P1A 4M5 August 27, 2013 Mr. Nikolic (Bob) Slobodan TLCASD PO Box 315 Noelville, ON P0M 2N0 (Transmitted by ) Subject: Tower Site Proposed for Trout Lake, 1427 Owl s Nest Road, Township of Hoskin Mr. Slobodan, This letter is in response to your letter of August 20, 2013 (sent by ) that outlined concerns about the proposed tower site referenced above. Firstly, you should be aware that the coordination and approval of this site is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Government of Canada through Industry Canada. In that regard, Spectrum Group is participating in the public consultation process in accordance with Industry Canada s guidelines document CPC The Municipality of French River also plays a key role as Land Use Authority for the area. More information about this document can be found by visiting Industry Canada s web site ( We can appreciate your desire to keep your property, and the area in general, in a relatively isolated and undisturbed state, and it is not our wish to disturb anyone s environment any more than necessary. However, as is the case with most developments, it does have some degree of impact but we feel that it s very minimal and will have negligible effect on the enjoyment of your property and the surrounding area. A number of issues were raised in your letter which I will address below. 1. TLCASD Board Representation of Area Landowners: Although your letter claims that the TLCASD Board is unanimous in its decision to oppose the location of this tower, we recognize your letter as representing the views of only one individual as no other names or signatures were included in your letter. In fact, several area landowners have indicated to us that you do not accurately represent their position in this particular situation. Spectrum Telecom Group Ltd.

2 In addition, some of the information you have been distributing is based on speculation and is not factual or entirely accurate. Hopefully, this letter will provide clarification on a number of issues. 2. Site Selection: The system being used to distribute Internet services is primarily line-of-sight (LOS) or near-line-of-site (NLOS) technology. This means users residing further away from the tower must have a clear path in order to receive a usable signal. Subscribers living closer to the tower (less than about one kilometer), can often receive an adequate signal even though the path is somewhat obstructed. This particular tower is designed to serve customers on the north and south sides of the Trout Lake. The proposed site, located on a small wooded hill, was selected as the best location to serve the intended coverage area. The 96-foot tower will be located more than 200 feet from the shore area. 3. Environmental Concerns: As mentioned, the site has a relatively small footprint and its impact on the environment is relatively minimal when compared to larger infrastructure projects such as hydro lines (for transmission and distribution) and roadways. The proposed site is located far enough away from the shoreline such that no equipment will fall into the lake. The equipment on the tower does not contain toxic substances and no such substances or fuels are stored at the site that could spill and pollute the lake. Furthermore, the site does not adversely impact any existing transportation routes, waterways, fish, or wildlife habitats. Other activities happening on or around the lake are far more likely to pollute the environment and examples are the ongoing use of motorized watercraft as well as the storage of various fuels. Yet, as far as we know, there are no local regulations that restrict these activities from taking place. Over the years, we have built several towers such as the one proposed near cottage/resort areas similar to Trout Lake and there have been no concerns about the ongoing operation of these sites. Attached is a document that provides information about where similar towers are located. The document includes map sections to show where these towers are located and, in addition, there are pictures of these towers taken at various distances to show there is minimal visual impact. 4. Tower Profile and Requirement for Obstruction Lighting: The profile and footprint of the tower proposed is relatively small when compared to other telecommunications towers that are located throughout the region. The profile of this particular Titan tower was shown in the notification letter that was forwarded to you and others in the area. It is a self-support structure, 48 inches in width at the base tapering to about 9 inches at the top and does not require guy wires. Although Transport Canada mandates the marking and lighting of towers and other similar obstructions to aviation, we do not expect them to ask us to equip this relatively small structure with lights. All of the towers of this type that Spectrum Group has installed over the past few years have not required lighting. Page 2 of 3

2651 W Height: 96 feet Area: East Ferris, Perm. Res.

4 Attachment 1 Trout Lake, East Ferris, Tower Locations MacPherson Tower: Lat N; Long W Height: 96 feet Area: East Ferris, Perm. Res. /Seasonal Dugas Tower: Lat N; Long W Height: 85 feet Area: East Ferris, Perm. Res. /Seasonal

5 Trout Lake, East Ferris Tower Photos MacPherson Tower at 350 meters Dugas Road Tower at 150 meters

Lake Nipissing, Tower Locations Sunset Cove Tower: Lat 46.1630 N; Long. -79.5367 W Height: 96 feet Area: Nipissing South Shore, Perm. Res.

6 Lake Nipissing, Tower Locations Sunset Cove Tower: Lat N; Long W Height: 96 feet Area: Nipissing South Shore, Perm. Res. /Seasonal/Resort Pine Drive Tower: Lat N; Long W Height: 80 feet Area: Nipissing South Shore, Perm. Res. /Seasonal/Resort

7 Lake Nipissing South Shore Tower Photos Sunset Cove Tower at 70 meters Pine Drive Tower at 125 meters

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