Cell service is coming to Port Renfrew! … eventually

This story was originally published in The Westshore newsletter, July 28, 2022.

Last April the Ministry of Citizens’ Services announced that it was funding seven new cell towers on Highway 14 between Sooke and Port Renfrew. It would cost $4.9 million, and Rogers Communications would have the job done by October 2021.

If you live on that section of the coast, or you’ve visited between last October and now, you’ll know that nine months after the deadline, there is still no cell service—never mind 5G connectivity—for much of the drive.

Rogers pointed to “the global equipment and steel shortage, complexities of obtaining building permits, as well as the challenging terrain in the area” as reasons for the delay, but said it’s on track to have coverage this year. That’s a project timeline of 22 months compared to the originally promised eight.

The company refused to answer when it became aware of “challenging terrain”—whether, essentially, it signed up to build infrastructure in a rugged West Coast forest without knowing what that entailed.

The first tower, at Otter Point, went live earlier this summer, bringing 5G connectivity to the area west of Sooke, but the other six towers remain under construction.

Province subsidizing expansion

To encourage cell service providers to expand service to remote areas, the province has been offering financial subsidies to offset some of the capital cost. Within the Capital Regional District there are 33 locations where cell towers or underwater fibre optic cables are being installed, each with partial funding from the government.

That list includes Beecher Bay and Metchosin, where large areas still have no cell coverage.

Not long after this $4.9-million announcement, Metchosin resident Brad Doney started a petition to push for better coverage in that rural town, too. He ended up with more than 600 signatures. His goal was to show service providers there is community support, and push against a council that had denied approval for a previously proposed cell tower.

Since then, a tower on Sc’ianew First Nation lands to be shared by Rogers and Telus was approved, which would also provide service to much of Metchosin’s dead area. That tower was supposed to have been completed this June, but the tower stands without hardware. Neither Rogers or Telus responded to The Westshore’s inquiries about the delay.

Last year we looked into what cell coverage will mean for Port Renfrew. Read the story here.