Jeff Green | Jan 16, 2025
Donnie McAlear, a landowner who lives in close proximity to a cell tower site under development near Vennachar, in North Frontenac, appeared before a meeting of North Frontenac Council last Friday (January 10th).
As reported in the News last week, the appearance was preceded by a sting of back-and-forth emails with township staff. At the meeting, McAlear asserted that he and his wife Margie, as well as a number of other adjacent neighbours to the tower site, never received a letter notifying them of the proposed tower, and thus were denied the opportunity to participate in a public process to discuss the approval process for the tower.
In this process, which is governed by federal legislation, the local township has a role to play as the “Land Use Authority” (LUA) whose main responsibility is to ensure that neighbouring property owners are informed of a proposed tower, and able to participate in a prescribed consultation process. As the LUA, the township signed a letter of concurrence in this case, based on a report by a third-party company, which is called CRINS. CRINS was established by the federal authority that approves the tower installation, to facilitate the work of the local townships in their role as LUA.
CRINS told North Frontenac Council that letters were delivered to the neighbouring property owners, and that there had been no response.
The township has attempted to contact CRINS for comment on the claim by the McAlear’s and their neighours, that the letters never got delivered.
After hearing Mr. McAlear’s presentation, Deputy Mayor John Inglis, who chaired the meeting in the absence of Mayor Lichty, told McAlear that the township’s Chief Administrative Officer, Cory Klatt, has not answered questions from the McAlears about what he has learned from CRINS, “because he can not.” Inglis then said that Council would be meeting in closed session at the end of the meeting.
“We will discuss this matter in detail,” said Inglis. “We will then communicate with you about our course of action, likely today.”
That afternoon, at 3pm, Clerk/Planning Manager Tara Mieske sent an email to Donnie McAlear, which the McAlear’s have shared with the Frontenac News.
The email says: “Further to your delegation today, Council discussed this matter in closed session. Upon returning to open session they passed the following resolution; ‘Moved by Councillor Vernon Hermer, Seconded by Councillor Fred Fowler - Be It Resolved That Council instructs staff to complete further research on the cell tower to be provided to Council at the January 31, 2025 Council Meeting to assist them with their decision, including solicitor advice.’
“We will follow-up after the January 31, 2025 Council Meeting.”
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