NORTH PERTH – The North Perth Chamber of Commerce is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying gaps in cell service in the community.

At its event on Feb. 16, the Chamber celebrated the return of Business After 5 events, with a Meet & Eat at the Listowel Legion’s upper hall. The event’s purpose was to gather North Perth Chamber members to engage with other businesses in a social environment with a collaborative focus.

“Businesses are invited to gather together to meet other owners, enjoy the opportunity to network, address concerns and possibly find solutions amongst their peers. This was the first one in a long time that the Chamber of Commerce has hosted. We had a variety of interest, and seems like a variety of conversations amongst the guests,” explained Sharon D’Arcey, general manager at the North Perth Chamber of Commerce.

The biggest topic of conversation: bad cell phone reception. Many event goers explained the impact the poor cell phone and internet connections have had on their businesses. There was talk during the event of creating a petition and possibly a report to look at the financial impact this bad service has on North Perth residents and businesses.

After the event, there was a conversation had between the Chamber and SWIFT representative, Barry Field, seeking advice on next steps. Now, a small committee is gathering up information to see what they can do to prove the gaps in service.

“It was recommended to try to pinpoint those holes with a few questions to the businesses,” explained D’Arcey.

The questions they’re asking are where people are experiencing this poor service, what provider they are currently with (TELUS, Bell, Rogers) and under what network (4G, 5G, LTE).

“So far we have had 150 comments from residents and businesses, but I’ve heard there are probably over 1,000 people that have had these issues,” said D’Arcey.

D’Arcey urges people experiencing these issues to respond to the Chamber’s search for information as soon as possible, as they are hoping to begin the mapping process of bad cell service zones.

Residents and businesses of North Perth looking to respond to this survey are asked to visit the Chamber’s Facebook page and comment on the original post, by emailing info@npchamber.com or by mailing a physical copy of the information to the Chamber of Commerce at 580 Main St. W in Listowel.

The Chamber’s next networking event will be an ‘Evening with Mayor Todd’ on April 19 at the Listowel Legion. For more information on the event, visit https://npchamber.com/upcoming-events-calendar/an-evening-with-todd.

Melissa Dunphy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Listowel Banner