Petitioners ask ISED to pump brakes on cell tower consultation

Nearly 3,000 Canadians have signed a petition asking Ottawa to hit pause on a planned update to the country’s regulatory framework for cell towers. Canadians for Safe Technology (C4ST), a non-profit group concerned about the health impact of wireless technology, launched the initiative to prevent policy changes they worry will “weaken” municipal authority, “reduce transparency,” and hand over cell tower siting decisions to the telecommunications industry. “It appears the industry has handed ISED (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) a shopping list of all the things they want, and ISED has done just that,” said Frank Clegg, the group’s chairman, in an interview. “If you read the responses from Bell, Telus , Rogers , there’s nothing in those documents that suggests there’s anything they disagree with.” ISED initiated the public consultation in May to update regulations that hadn’t been touched since 2007. Among other things, the department is seeking comments on cutting down on deliberation time on projects for municipalities, applying a 15-metre exclusion to telecom operators, which would exempt projects from public consultation for towers under a certain height, and reducing private sector reporting requirements. In particular, the proposed rules would give tower operators and localities 45 days to negotiate a path forward for a project (the current window is 120 days), after which ISED would have the final decision-making authority on a tower site. Additionally, should municipal officials fail to notify Ottawa of an impasse, the project is automatically deemed approved. Meanwhile, the 15-metre exclusion is likely to become more relevant as companies build more 5G and, eventually, 6G towers, which are smaller and constructed closer together. Currently, most older generation towers extend beyond the 15-metre threshold, but Clegg worries that raising the limit and applying the exemption to telcos could result in a proliferation of smaller 5G towers on roofs and around communities without adequate input from the public. “We see modeling that…, in dense population areas, towers might need to be placed every 100 meters or so,” said Clegg. The proposals were widely embraced by the telecoms industry, but faced staunch pushback from municipalities across the country, many of which raised concerns the new deadlines would not provide sufficient time for a “comprehensive municipal review,” as the Town of Oakville, Ont., wrote. “We’re also finding that most municipalities we talk to don’t know anything about this,” said Clegg, a former president of Microsoft Canada. “And, the ones that are saying, ‘we don’t accept this. We don’t like this, and we want to talk about it.’” As submissions continue to pour in, ISED has twice extended the deadline to submit comments on the proposals, and interested parties now have until October 6 to provide feedback. In addition to tower operators, local and provincial governments, and amateur radio groups, more than 300 individuals have provided comments, which are overwhelmingly critical of the update. Many stakeholders echoed the C4ST petition’s call on ISED to “pause the current consultation and establish an independent comprehensive public review process to examine the proposed amendments.” More specifically, Clegg would like to see Ottawa conduct a nationwide inquiry similar to that which produced the Townsend Report, a large-scale review of Canada’s previous cell tower siting regime led by University of New Brunswick professor David Townsend. “Back then, the government went across Canada, interviewed a lot of people… and came back with this extensive report with 34 recommendations,” Clegg said. “If we needed something like that 20 years ago, with the incredibly extensive density required for 5G cell towers, then we need to replicate that again.” “We’re just asking that they do this properly. Like, my goodness, get out there and interview stakeholders across the country.” C4ST is also asking Canadians to raise their concerns with individual MPs, and offers a pre-written letter that argues the regulatory changes would “make it almost impossible for communities to have a meaningful voice in decisions that will affect them for decades.” Clegg said the organization has brought its concerns to the Liberal government, but they’ve largely fallen on deaf ears, as ISED has said it won’t take meetings while the public consultation is ongoing. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly (Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Que.) has also not responded to the group’s overtures, he said. In a statement, ISED spokesperson Cheyenne Daly said Ottawa "remains committed to improving access to modern, reliable telecommunications services so that people across the country can stay connected, access emergency services when they need them, participate fully in the economy, and travel safely and confidently on Canada’s roads and highways." "ISED will consider all submissions received through the consultation, including views on municipal and public participation," she told The Wire Report. "Soon after the close of the comment period, all comments will be posted on ISED's Spectrum management and telecommunications website." After the consultation closes next month, there is no clear timeline for when the government will make a final decision. dlegree@thewirereport.ca Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from ISED.

Petitioners ask ISED to pump brakes on cell tower consultation

Regulatory |
By Davis Legree
|September 23, 2026

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

Petitioners ask ISED to pump brakes on cell tower consultation

Regulatory | By Davis Legree |September 23, 2026

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Finance committee calls on government to ‘strengthen’ Online Streaming Act as public support for streamer payments grows

‘Nothing further to report’: Liberals still plan to eliminate streamer payment requirements following trade talk collapse

FBI freezes out Mounties over CBC memo about terrorism

Related Stories

Broken telephone: Conservative MP Andrew Lawton takes poor cell coverage into his own hands

Rogers, municipal leaders celebrate completion of cell project in Eastern Ontario

Telcos, municipalities at odds over federal cell tower policy

Poilievre sponsors petition to improve cell coverage in rural Canada

Reuse & Permissions

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

Regulatory |
By Davis Legree
|September 23, 2026