The British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) held a special meeting in Golden last week to address more of the community’s concerns about the proposed Columbia Valley Transmission Project (CVTP).

The latest community meeting was held primarily to discuss community concerns about the proposed 69 kV power line that may be placed along 14th Street to connect two of the CVTP’s substations.

Rachel Darvill, of Wildsight, said that about 50 people came out for this meeting, that was requested by Wildsight members, to address the community concerns about the proposed 69 kV power line running along 14th street and its potential health implications.

“I wanted to include the town’s major decision makers there and we did have Mayor Benty, representatives of Town Council and Staff and other Wildsight members in attendance. BCTC actually hand delivered letter invitations to all 14th street residents as well,” said Darvill.

Residents and other participants presented alternatives to BCTC and Darvill said that BCTC representatives seemed receptive to their ideas.

“The basic message was that this option (to have the line down 14th Street) is totally unacceptable.”

Darvill said that BCTC presented some ideas for alternative routes for the 69 kV line including the alley behind 14th Street (15th Street) or along the Ministry of Transportation right-of-way behind Home Hardware and along the CP Rail property.

“That is definitely what people would like to see happen,” said Darvill referring to the MOT option.

One of the main concerns of residents along 14th Street is the exposure that residents would have to the Electric Magnetic Fields (EMFs) produced by the new line.

Darvill said that there is a lot of correlation between EMFs and health problems and because there are so many correlations, this is about implementing the cautionary principle.

Judy Dobrowolski, communications manager for BCTC and Deepak Anand, project manager for the CVTP, said that at the meeting, they answered questions about the route of the 69 kV line and the expansion of the Kicking Horse Substation.

Anand stressed that the line BCTC is showing currently is an estimation line.

“It is just one of the alternatives we are looking at and we are exploring and evaluating other alternatives.”

He explained that the reason BCTC chose 14th Street was because of an old previously existing line corridor that used to run along this street.

Dobrowolski said that BCTC recognizes the fact that there are questions and concerns about EMFs.

“We look to the health experts like the World Health Organization(WHO) and Health Canada for their research findings and we are guided by those findings. Our commitment is to run the transmission system in a safe and reliable manner.”

According to the Health Canada website, typical exposures to EMFs present no known health risks. There have been many studies about the effects of exposure to electric and magnetic fields at extremely low frequencies. Scientists at Health Canada are aware that some studies have suggested a possible link between exposure to EMFs and certain types of childhood cancer. However, when all of the studies are evaluated, the evidence appears to be very weak.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, over the past 25 years, there have been more than 100 studies published looking at the relationship between exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) and cancer risk. Researchers have not found a consistent relationship between exposure to EMFs, at levels normally found at home or in the community, and an increased risk of cancer in either adults or children – with the exception of childhood leukemia. However, the risk of childhood leukemia appears to be greater and the scientific association stronger when EMF exposure is higher than what is normally found at home or in the community. Although experts agree that exposure to such high levels is uncommon, they have not been able to rule out a potential relationship from exposure to EMFs at levels that might typically be found.

Anand said that BCTC is currently working with the Town of Golden to identify alternatives and options for the line.

“We still need more input from the other major stakeholders, but there are other alternatives that we are evaluating.”

Anand said that there will be more opportunity for public input at the next open house in November and there will also be opportunities during the application process.

“In November, based on the input BCTC has received, we will come out and show the preferred line route for the 230 kV line, the substation and the river crossing. At that time we may not have a definitive answer on 14th Street, but we will make sure we keep residents in the loop about that issue.”

Dobrowolski said, “The medical health officer for the Kootenay area and the Golden Health Unit said the best thing for the public in Golden to do if they have EMF questions or concerns is contact the local health unit in Golden and then the people in the unit can get a health inspector or a health officer to get back to them.”

The Golden Health Unit can be reached at 250-344-7555.

For more information about the CVTP or for BCTC’s EMF information, visit their website, at www.bctc.com.