Spotty cellphone service 'insulting' to St. Laurent residents, reeve of Manitoba RM says
'If your bus breaks down in the spot where there is no service, well, then there is a concern,' says driver
Frustratingly poor cellphone service is leaving many residents of the rural municipality of St. Laurent concerned for their safety, as hopes for a new cellphone tower in the southern Manitoba municipality still haven't come through.
"In 2022, Bell stated that they were going to put up a new tower," said Rick Chartrand, the reeve of the RM, which is located on the southeast shore of Lake Manitoba.
"They actually came out and put markers as to where they're going to develop," he said. "We looked into it [last year] and they informed us that it was postponed until 2026."
In a written statement to CBC, the telecom company said it doesn't have plans to put in a new tower because of "an uncertain regulatory environment and recent economic headwinds," but said it is open to discussing the possibility of partnering with the rural municipality and other levels of governments to help make it happen.
But people who live in the area said they're tired of waiting.
"It's a dead zone right here, so when you're travelling from the city, you lose reception in the St. Laurent area," said Breanna Malcolm, as she pumped gas along Highway 6, a major north-south corridor that runs through the municipality.
"It's absolutely terrible," said Ray Colliou, who travels the highway regularly for business.
"I know that if I'm phoning customers on my way into Winnipeg, I'm going to drop two or three calls," he said. "Considering the fact that this is the main highway to Thompson, it should be an embarrassment to the province."
Others said the poor service is more than an inconvenience — it's a matter of safety.
"One mile you might have it, the next mile you might not," said Susan Gareau, who drives a school bus in the municipality.
"If your bus breaks down in the spot where there is no service, well, then there is a concern."
A mother of young children who lives in St. Laurent is also worried about what might happen without wireless connectivity.
"I don't even get any emergency alerts. I feel like I live under a rock," said Jade Pelletier. "It's really crappy, especially when you have kids."
The RM says even first responders have faced cellphone failure while out on emergency calls.
"There's times where they're responding to a call and their cellphone service drops," said Chartrand.
"That doesn't work if you're responding to an emergency and they may need backup," the reeve said, calling it "unacceptable."
Chartrand said he thinks Bell's reluctance to put in a new tower is connected to the profits it would make — or not make — in the small community, which is less than 100 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
But he said the company isn't the only one to blame.
"I give credit to the governments, federal and provincial, for providing new service for Indigenous groups, up north, for cell service," said Chartand.
"We, in my opinion, are an Indigenous group," he continued. "We have a large population of Métis people. We're only 70 kilometres away [from Winnipeg], and for us to not be able to get this service is insulting."
In a statement emailed to CBC, Manitoba Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Lisa Naylor said the province is working with Ottawa to improve cellphone coverage in rural and northern areas.
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