Emotions have been strong as Summerlanders are once again talking about a proposed cellular telephone tower to be built on Little Conkle Mountain, but the discussion should have taken place much earlier.

Representatives from Telus and other proponents of the tower say it will bring a badly needed improvement to cellular telephone service in Summerland.

Few would argue the need for a cellular tower in the community. At present, service within Summerland is spotty at best and there are portions of the community where it is not possible to communicate using a cell phone.

Opponents believe the health risks from the tower are too great for those living in the adjacent properties and as a result, they would like the tower in another location.

The questions about health risks are valid and must be taken seriously.

But the health questions should have been referred to Health Canada, the agency which sets the standards for cellular towers. Telus and other cellular service providers simply work within the framework of the existing standards. If the standards need to be revisited and changed, then that is a matter to bring up with Health Canada and the federal government.

While the questions are important, we wonder why they were not raised a few years ago, when the council of the day was deciding whether to approve the site for the tower.

At that point, council could have rejected the proposed site, but now the approval has been given.

Some will say they did not know about the proposal at the time, but municipal council agendas are made public and there are opportunities at each meeting for public input.

Often, when a controversial issue comes before council, the public gallery is full.

When construction is about to start, it seems a little late to raise a protest.