Wildfire area seeks better cellphone service
Some residents of southeast Manitoba communities that have been threatened by recent wildfires say they could have used better cellphone service in such emergencies.
Cellphone service in the Rural Municipality of Piney has been poor to non-existent for years, according to those who live or own properties there.
That means people who had to flee their homes late last week due to a wildfire in their area could not have used their cellphones to call for help if something had gone wrong.
"It's been very dangerous in a number of situations, such as these fires that are happening now," Bill MacGregor, who has a family cottage in the area, told CBC News on Tuesday.
"It absolutely makes no sense whatsoever. You know, we're right adjacent to the United States," he added.
"People come across the border — tourists, etc. — and all of a sudden they're in a Third World country because there's no cellphone service."
Local firefighters and paramedics can communicate with each other using FleetNet, a separate system, but CBC News has learned that the system was overloaded this past weekend due to firefighting efforts.
As well, hunters and snowmobile users have been injured in the backcountry but could not dial 911 to get help.
Manitoba emergency experts have warned about the poor cellular phone coverage in the RM of Piney for over a decade, according to correspondence obtained by CBC News.
For years, municipal officials have tried to convince MTS, Manitoba's largest telecommunications provider, to install cellphone towers in the area.
"The residents of the RM of Piney have been trying unsuccessfully for years to have their cell and internet services improved," states a letter from the RM of Piney to MTS, dated Feb. 11.
But in its response, dated April 19, MTS said its "current business forecast does not support further expansion in southeastern Manitoba."
The company did propose a "community-funded model" in which the RM of Piney could front the capital funds to buy and install cellular site technology, then get paid back by MTS over time.
"Just put up a couple of towers and provide us with cellphone service, the same as every other citizen of Manitoba," MacGregor said.
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger, who toured the fire-affected area by helicopter on Tuesday, said his government will work with local officials to improve cellphone service.
"They were interested in better cellphone technology down here. They thought that would have helped," Selinger said.
"We listened to them on that, and we said we'd work with them on how we could try to improve the service."
RM of Piney officials say they hope the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission will deregulate the area so that U.S. cellphone providers like Verizon Wireless could step in to provide service in the area.
