School board stands firm on cell tower

Despite Telus claims the Town of Canmore is “running close to the limits in capacity,” the Canadian Rockies Public School division has reiterated its stance against placement of a permanent cellphone tower near a middle school.

With over 77 per cent of homes within town having access to Internet and 16 per cent strictly wireless service, a plan for the national telecommunications company to increase its capacity in certain areas could be delayed without new infrastructure.

Following up on its letter to members of Town council last year, CRPS has requested the temporary cellphone tower on Seventh Street, which Telus has proposed to make permanent, be relocated.

The tower’s current location is roughly a half block from Lawrence Grassi Middle School, an issue that has created concern for some parents and staff regarding the risk of adverse health effects.

Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

Column: One week, no coffee

It wasn’t until the Friday afternoon did I really start to panic. The days prior had been relatively easy as I casually paraded around the office not under the influence of the remedy I’ve become so accustomed to since college. It almost seemed too easy and up until that moment, it felt like I could go without drinking coffee for a long time.

For someone who, on average, drinks between two and four cups of coffee a day (the most I’ve ever drank was six), perhaps my judgment was a little premature when it came to deadline day for stories and photos. Either way, I battled through and with the help of tea – lots of tea – I made it to my goal of not drinking coffee for a whole week. Read the full column at the St. Paul Journal.