Cell infrastructure project will see Fort Erie included in 2027

By the end of next year, dropped calls along the Niagara Parkway corridor in Fort Erie may become a thing of the past, once a Niagara Parks project is complete.

The agency is planning to install the first of its eight 5G cellular monopoles on Niagara Parks property this year. Fort Erie, however, isn’t slated to receive its first until 2027. Niagara Parks COO Marcelo Gruosso said one of the Fort Erie poles has been confirmed, though a location for a second pole in the Mather Arch area still needs to be determined.

Currently, the approved location for the first pole is off College Street, near Niagara Christian Collegiate. Following public consultation last fall, Gruosso told Fort Erie Radio they moved the specific location in an effort to reduce the impact.

“We’ve tucked it really quite a bit away from the Parkway itself, and away from the school and a house that’s near the Parkway there,” he said.

All told, Niagara Parks has plans for eight monopoles to go up.

The first two being erected this year are at the Legends on the Niagara golf course and by the Butterfly Conservatory. Niagara Parks is working with a company that will install the pole, and then rent out space on the pole to the various cell providers. This should lead to an improvement in cell coverage for all users, regardless of who their provider is.

However, the second Fort Erie pole may not end up on Niagara Parks land. Due to what Gruosso described as archaeological sensitivity, they put a pause on the original site for the second pole. He said they’re now working with their municipal and regional counterparts to find a location.

“So we currently paused that one and we’re looking for alternative sites that might be better. Because in those two areas, there’s gaps and pockets and dropped calls,” he said, adding it’s a balancing act between finding a location that will solve those dead zones but also minimizing impact to existing residents, businesses and nature.

While the project will improve service for residents, Gruosso said there’s a big push to also improve service for first responders and emergency services.

“Our big thing here is emergency services, like 911, roadside assistance, first responders, as in those areas, the calls drop. So we’re trying to fix that issue along the parkway,” he said.

Once that’s taken care of, Gruosso said it opens up opportunities for better services throughout the Niagara Parkway corridor.

“It’s just an important first step if we can get to it and get some of these built and fix the initial problem. And then it opens up opportunities for other things,” he said.

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