The death of a retired teacher this summer has prompted renewed calls for a cell tower to plug a gap in coverage in Nanaimo’s Hammond Bay area.
Retired teacher Ken Gillies, 72, was driving to hospital with chest pains about 11:30 p.m. July 12 when the car suddenly veered off Hammond Bay Road and he slumped over.
His wife, Kathy Gillies, grabbed her cellphone but could not get a signal to call 911.
Her legs shaking, she ran to flag down other drivers, who had to leave the area to get a signal. One man who reached 911 was told the call was cutting out and to try another location.
Eventually one of the drivers was able to get a connection and paramedics were dispatched. “They did work on my husband for an hour but they could not revive him,” said Gillies, who called that night “horrific.”
“You just don’t want something like that to happen to another family.”
She wonders if the outcome might have been different if an immediate cellphone connection had been available. “All that time was lost with people trying to drive somewhere, get into a cell reception area.”
Gillies said it’s critical that a cell tower be installed to provide coverage, noting that the Hammond Bay area, which is in the north end of the city, has grown significantly in the past decade.
Thousands of people visit the nearby 36-acre Neck Point Park, which has waterfront rock cliffs and trails, she said. “If someone is hurt down there, what are [their] chances? ”
Last week, Nanaimo resident Sandra Miles launched a calling for a cell tower to serve the area. Lack of cell coverage, she said, not only affects the quality of daily communication but poses risks during emergencies when reliable communication is crucial.
Nanaimo is a fast-growing community with about half its 100,000 population in the north end, said Miles, who urged local government officials and telecommunications companies to address the issue promptly.
Miles, who lives in the Hammond Bay area, said she discovered the connectivity problem when she recently signed up for her first cellphone plan. The only way she can make a call from home is by connecting with WiFi and there’s no connection outside her home.
Issues with poor cell coverage go back more than a decade in the Hammond Bay area, where some residents fear the health effects of cell towers. A majority of city council voted against a new tower in 2014, and a landlord withdrew support for a tower on their property.
Decisions to approve a new cell tower are made by Industry Canada, which solicits feedback from a municipality when it’s considering an application.
Bill Corsan, Nanaimo’s director of corporate and business development, said the city has worked closely with telecommunications providers in the past decade to identify areas with gaps in coverage.
When it comes to Hammond Bay, he said, telecoms have a site “they are working to secure a lease on.”
If the site being considered is used, it should resolve the majority of cell-coverage issues within the Hammond Bay area, he said.
The address is confidential, but Corsan said he is optimistic the proposal will go forward.
Once a lease agreement is secured, there would be public notification, he said, adding it takes about a year after approval to see a tower installed. The city encourages telecom providers to share space on a tower to reduce the number installed.
Nanaimo has 24 towers for 4G service, he said, although providers are moving to 5G. The term 4G refers to fourth-generation wireless with particular transmission technology and data speeds. The next level is 5G, which is designed to deliver faster service and allow for broader connections.
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said Thursday that a cell tower for the Hammond Bay area is necessary, especially in light of Ken Gillies’ death.
Krog said he is hopeful that another effort to get a tower installed will be successful. “It will allow for more efficient delivery of emergency services and incredible convenience for the people who live in the affected areas.”
A Rogers Communications spokesperson said in a statement that the company looks forward to “working with the local municipality and regional government to improve connectivity in North Nanaimo.”
“We understand the importance of reliable connectivity and greatly value community input in making improvements. Hearing from local communities is an important part of the process as we work to improve and enhance our 5G networks across British Columbia.”
A Telus spokesperson could not be reached.
