Editor: I have been reading with interest the various letters concerning the proposed KRPI radio towers in Point Roberts. In this regard I recently wrote a letter to federal Industry Minister James Moore as requested by one of your correspondents.
In this letter I asked the minister to urgently request the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its decision and stop the construction of these towers. I pointed out the application to construct these towers failed to acknowledge the proximity of the community of Tsawwassen.
I also note recent letters to the editor suggesting our politicians should do the right thing and it should not be up to the citizens to hold meetings and collect money to fight the issue. With this in mind, I would like to share the salient points in the reply received from Moore: "The relocation on an AM broadcast station in the border area is subject to the 1984 international agreement between Canada and the United States relating to AM broadcasting service..."
And then quotes the website where this agreement can be found. Unfortunately this site is no longer available.
"The proposed AM radio station KRPI is the responsibility of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States. The FCC has confirmed that the proposal meets all its regulatory requirements, including those for health and safety and mitigating the impact of the proposed AM station on electronic devices of local residents..." It goes on to say that KRPI has publicly committed to resolving any issues with electronic devices, etc.
It would seem the citizens may well be on their own, although I find it incomprehensible that our government would sign an agreement that would allow radio towers to be constructed in such proximity to a population as large as Tsawwassen.
It is also quite a stretch to expect said citizens to have to rely on the promise of a company that began the whole process by submitting a flawed application. I intend on replying to Moore on this basis.
Duncan Reid
