The following has been emailed to the Candidates in the Federal Election seeking the seat in Kingston and the Islands:
Thank you for your courage to put your names forward for the Federal Election. The democratic process depends on the willingness of people to take the risk of running.
The Kingstonians for Safe Technology (K4ST.ca) is a grassroots group of informed citizens based in Kingston raising awareness about wireless technologies and their risks with respect to health, safety, privacy and climate change. We have given many presentations to community groups and organizations. This past summer we hosted two talks at both the Isabel Turner and the Central Library outlining the concerns surrounding 5G combined with screenings of the award-winning documentary film Generation Zapped. Attendees numbered in excess of venue capacity at the Isabel Turner Library and in nearly full capacity at the Central Branch downtown. On September 21, we held a rally outside Kingston City Hall where about 100 people gathered to express their concerns. At an Expert Panel Discussion just after the rally, two world renowned scientists, a medical expert, and a Queen’s University expert on digital privacy all told the attendees they are correct to be concerned for health and privacy reasons. The risks are indeed real.
Our community is concerned and deserves answers. We have already gathered over 1000 signatures on electronic and hard-copy petitions. We believe urgent precautionary action is needed before this wireless technology is implemented. Citizens have the right to know about the potential risks associated with 5G and their input and informed consent must be sought.
The implementation of 5G is a federal initiative which over-rides the local authority to make decisions in the best interest of the community. Municipalities are being told they cannot refuse the installation of the 4G/5G infrastructure, namely small cell antennas. In the U.S., this has caused the U.S. Conference of Mayors to threaten to sue the Federal Communications Commission.
We believe this is an issue that challenges our democratic rights and freedoms. Therefore, we are contacting you as a candidate for the federal election.
Attached we have provided a “Fact Sheet” about wireless technologies and 5G to give you background on this issue.
| In order to make an informed decision on Election Day, we think that citizens deserve to know your position on this issue. We are asking you to please provide written responses to the questions on the next page. The questions and your verbatim answers will be posted on our website and will also be shared with our subscribers (currently about 170 citizens on our email list). Please respond by Thursday, October 17. |
Issue: No informed consent of citizens for the 5G rollout
Background: In 1954, the tobacco industry founded the precursor to what is known today as the Council for Tobacco Research. This organization financed hundreds of so-called independent researchers, who published several thousand peer-reviewed studies the goal of which, as we now know, was to create controversy and doubt about a causal link between smoking and a wide array of grave illnesses. “Doubt is our product”, a leaked internal memo stated.
These techniques are still extensively used today by telecommunications companies. The parallels with the tobacco industry are striking and tactics have improved with relentless lobbying.
5G is being rolled out in Canada despite thousands of peer-reviewed studies showing related technologies are harmful to humans and ecosystems; industry admits no pre-market safety testing has been conducted. Regarding privacy concerns, no independent study has been done to ensure protection; in fact privacy experts are warning that safeguards are not in place as 5G is being rolled out.
Question #1
How will your government ensure citizens are informed of negative health consequences and privacy implications of wireless technologies and ensure that 5G does not get implemented before it is proven safe for health or privacy?
Issue: Health Canada and Safety Code 6 fail to protect Canadians
Background: Many people erroneously think that Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 is protective for all health effects. Safety Code 6 was developed for acute, thermal effects and only findings that relate to tissue heating are considered. It is for reasons similar to this that hundreds of scientists worldwide have appealed to the WHO to develop truly protective safety standards so that other jurisdictions can follow. (EMF Scientist Appeal, 2015)
The House of Commons, Standing Committee on Health #58 (2015) made 15 recommendations which Prime Minister Trudeau promised to adopt, if elected. He did not follow through. Several of the 15 recommendations referred to Health Canada because it was shown in the course of the hearings that Health Canada does not consider any of the vast amounts scientific research that show there are biological or non-thermal health effects resulting from radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) in our environment. (HESA Report, 2015)
Question #2
If elected, would your government ensure that a review of Safety Code 6 is done in an open and transparent way and all the science on health effects from RF-EMFs is considered? What safeguards should be put in place so the review is open and transparent and not influenced by industry?
Question #3
What will you do to ensure that the Canadian government applies the precautionary principle as required by international law, and ensures appropriate independent science is conducted to determine the safety of 5G?
With Appreciation,
Kingstonians for Safe Technolgy
Kingstonians For Safe Technology 