The Corporation of Delta has joined the list of speakers at a public hearing on the contentious proposal to build several radio transmission towers in Point Roberts.
CAO George Harvie told council on Monday that many concerns by Delta, as well as the community, have been conveyed and questions asked regarding the application by BBC Broadcasting Inc. but have not been addressed by the applicant.
The civic politicians at their meeting discussed what's being done on several fronts to oppose the application to Whatcom County to construct five 45-metre (150-foot) steel towers at an undeveloped lot on McKenzie Way, about 330 metres from the Tsawwassen border.
The towers are to transmit South Asian radio station KRPI, AM 1550, which currently broadcasts from studios in Richmond to a Lower Mainland audience.
Also known as Sher-E-Punjab, the company currently broadcasts using antenna located in Ferndale, but wants to move them closer and have a stronger 50,000 watt all-day signal. The FCC granted approval but a permit is still required by the county, which has reportedly recommended zoning approval. The county will hold a public hearing that's expected to draw a large crowd from both sides of the border.
Council also gave its support to a petition recently submitted by the Cross Border Coalition Against the Towers to the constituency office of MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, asking for House of Commons to have Industry Canada and the foreign affairs minister to intercede. The petition also calls for an inquiry into why Industry Canada did not object to the FCC approval.
The petition had 3,500 signatures, however, an official with Findlay's office this week said only 2,209 signatures were accepted by the clerk in Ottawa. That's because there was writing on many of the sheets where there can be no comments or other writing on petition pages.
Delta South MLA Vicki Huntington has also registered to speak at the public hearing at the Whatcom County Courthouse set for Oct. 27, 29, 30, 31 and Nov. 3.
