Dust and cell service in Woodlands County could be on the mend soon

Near the end of the June 15 Woodlands County Regular Meeting, two councillors brought forward concerns from residents in their divisions. The problems raised happened during the Councillor Reports section of the meeting, which is where each councillor can bring up things they did since the last meeting or bring forward conversations they had with residents.

Councillor Kusch said that a few phone calls from concerned residents had him talking about dust mitigation. “I know this is something that we made a policy to step away from, but the motion started opening up the floodgates on this.” He said that residents asked what made one road in one area of the County more important than a road elsewhere in the County. “They have concerns that affect livestock versus concerns that affect people in other areas. We have been trying to direct them to look at pricing on their own, but the quotes that these guys are getting are astronomical to have companies come out and do the dust mitigation spraying,” explained Kusch.

He mentioned that residents in Lac Ste. Anne needing similar services for gravel roads were getting much more affordable rates because they were getting the service fulfilled through their county office. “It’s very affordable if they want to pay for it out of pocket through or to the county,” he said. “I’m just wondering if it’s something our administration could possibly look into.”

Back in 2020, Woodlands County Council voted to eliminate the dust control program from the operating budget to save cash. Kusch wondered if they could develop a user-pay type service so that residents who wanted dust mitigation could pay for it through the county and receive a more affordable rate in the process. “If there’s a way where we can possibly implement it where the ratepayer pays for the service, not the county, and the prices are affordable for them again so they can do what they need to in their properties for their livestock and their livelihoods.”

The more significant road stretches needing dust mitigation work remain under the County’s perve, and they can pass motions to have work completed. Councillor Kusch’s questioning was for smaller stretches of road. “(Let’s) at least try and get them an affordable rate instead of them trying to do it on their own. Some of the quotes they’ve been getting on their own have been really, really high.” A motion was made to have Woodlands County Administration look into the issue and bring forward solutions during an upcoming council meeting.

Councillor Dale McQueen spoke of an issue plaguing his neck of the woods in Goose Lake/Freeman River. “The cell service out here has sucked since day one. It’s never been anything. I’d like to know if we could set up a meeting with Telus and see if they can jack up some of the power they are running through these towers because it’s getting worse. It’s not better. It’s getting worse.” He said that he knew of residents that had bought boosters to try and get service to make calls from their homes.

Councillor McQueen said that to add insult to injury, many residents receive regular calls from Telus offering a service they can’t even take advantage of. “We get a call every month from some Telus rep saying that we can get high-speed internet. We say no, we aren’t in the service area, and they argue until you tell them to talk to their boss and find out. Then they say that we’re on the map but not in the service area. So, if we aren’t in there, then take us off the map or do something.”

Dealing with poor service is a regular event in Woodlands County, and certain areas are worse than others. “It’s starting to choke me that we’ve had to put up with this for years and years. We are worse than a third-world country out here. You can travel just about anywhere across this country and have better cell service than you do in Alberta. That is pretty pathetic.”

CAO Gordon Frank said that a couple of years ago, reps from Telus had visited Woodlands County to talk about future plans. “They asked you guys to consider not building your own communication tower because the 5G network was coming, and you would get better service. If Council wants, Administration can invite the reps back to a council meeting to see where they are at with those matters.”

Councillor McQueen liked that idea and immediately made a motion to invite Telus reps to the round table to discuss the issue. “I know when we sat down with those folks back then, two or three years ago, there was a bunch of us that ran around with maps, and I was one of them. We circled all the dead areas in our area that show nothing, and those were all turned back into them, and it still never changed anything. That was out of our pocket to try to get things better for our communities. So, let’s see if we can get something a little better for us.” A delegation from Telus will be invited to attend a future council meeting to discuss how to improve the cell service in Woodlands County.