A Nova Scotia resident who spoke out in October about a proposed Shared Tower installation says the project now appears to be moving ahead, despite months spent trying to halt or redirect it.
Back in October 2025, Kathleen O’Brien raised a series of allegations about the tower application, including claims that company Shared Tower submitted documents containing incorrect information and procedural errors.
She also alleged that some statements made during the public consultation were misleading or contradictory. She hoped federal officials would investigate, but now says no one at the federal level followed up. “It looks like the federal ministers don’t care to investigate this,” she told us. “It looks like this tower will go forward.”
O’Brien says the only change she was able to secure was a required setback, which she pushed for after Shared Tower initially said it could not meet the requirement. She later came to believe the company simply did not want to adjust the plan.
Her update points to what she describes as a lack of oversight at every level of government. Municipal officials declined to intervene, even after residents submitted a petition. Her councillor did not receive support from colleagues, and she says her MP, Kody Blois, has not returned a call or email in 16 months.
Because of this, she says attempts to encourage Shared Tower to consider an alternate site have gone nowhere.
She argues the situation shows how easily a federally approved cell tower can be built without meaningful input from nearby residents. “The procedures and requirements for telecommunication towers aren’t enforced,” she said. “All the issues I raised about Shared Tower, and no one in a position of authority cares.”
O’Brien also questioned whether towers are consistently operating within safe limits, noting that Health Canada considers radio exposure safe if sites operate within approved thresholds. “If the federal government won’t ensure all requirements are met when building them, how do Canadians know these towers are operating within the safe limits?” she said.
Shared Tower and the MPs contacted for this story did not respond to our requests for comment. O’Brien hopes others dealing with similar concerns will raise the issue federally. “Maybe with enough complaints, they will eventually have to do something about it,” she said.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
