Poor cellphone coverage blasted by Manitoba municipalities
CBC News | Posted: November 26, 2012 7:06 PM | Last Updated: November 27, 2012
A lack of cellphone coverage in some parts of Manitoba is topping the agenda at the Association of Manitoba Municipalities meeting in Winnipeg on Monday.
AMM president Doug Dobrowolski spoke about the chaos created by the recent fires in Vita, Man., and the 2011 flood as just two examples of how a lack of cell service has created life-threatening situations.
Dobrowolski noted that evacuation efforts during the October wildfires in Vita were hindered due to patchy cellphone service in the area.
For example, when 365 schoolchildren were moved for safety reasons, many parents could not contact them.
The AMM has called an emergency resolution to address the poor cell service and is asking the provincial and federal governments to work with cellphone providers to come up with a solution.
In all, 54 resolutions will be up for debate over the next few days during the AMM's meeting at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.
The meeting wraps up Thursday.