havas letter

Rezoning Application: 319 Glenwood Street, Peterborough, ON, K9L 2B2, Nov. 2014

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Submitted to Selwyn Council and Planning Department, November 14, 2014 Magda Havas, BSc, Phd 319 Glenwood Street,

Peterborough, ON, K9L 2B2

Re: Rezoning application for 319 Glenwood Street I submitted a rezoning application for 319 Glenwood Street for the purpose of conducting research and holding educational meetings and workshops. I hired a planner–Kevin Duguay MCIP, RPP–to help with that process. During the past few months we (Mr. Duguay and I) met on several occasions to discuss this rezoning proposal with planners from Selwyn Township Building and Planning Department and Peterborough County Planning Department. Based on recommendations of all the planners (my own, Selwyn Township and Peterborough County) I held an Open House at 319 Glenwood Street on July 30, 2014. I also attended the Public Meeting held on August 12, 2014 to discuss this rezoning application at the Selwyn Township Municipal Office. At that meeting I did not speak at the request of Mr. Duguay. The decision regarding the rezoning application was deferred to a later date to allow City Councilors time to consider this application carefully. Planners from both Selwyn Township and Peterborough County visited the property in question and I also had unannounced site visit from Selwyn Township Building Inspector/By-law Enforcement Officer, Austyn Reichelt. Jeannette Thompson (Selwyn Planner) asked me to clarify some issues that came up during the Public Meeting. These I address below (Part 1). I also address some of the misinformation presented during the Open House, Public Meeting and other public events held during the Municipal Elections that were brought to my attention by Selwyn Planners (Part 2). Some of the concerns expressed by Ecovue Consulting Services Inc are also addressed (Part 3). Part 1 – Clarification requested by Jeannette Thompson, BSc, MCIP, RPP, Township of Selwyn, Planner/Economic Development Office:

1. A copy of the architects review of the dwelling in relation to the installation of the electrical devices.

2. Confirmation that the Fire Department has been contacted and that they are satisfied that there are no concerns from a fire safety perspective.

3. Confirmation that the Electrical Safety Authority has been contacted and that they are satisfied that there are no issues in regards to their mandate.

4. Clarification as to what will be taking place in the research facility if the amendment is approved. Concerns were raised that there would be diagnostics and treatment at the facility, and we would like clarification as to whether or not that will be the case.

5. Clarification of the number, timing and frequency of workshops to be held on site and the anticipated number of participants.

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6. Information on any other type of research facilities that are located within residential areas (I do have a letter from one individual from Ryerson – but if you are aware of any more I would appreciate that information).

7. Clarify what is meant by taking blood samples and what disposal mechanisms of the samples are in place.

Response to items above:

1. Architects Review: Kevin Duguay will handle this request. 2. Fire Department: We contacted the Peterborough Fire Department and spoke with the

local Fire Chief. We also spoke to the Fire Marshall’s Office in Toronto and they said they are “not aware of any fire safety issues arising from the fire code." Fire Department deferred us back to Selwyn Township Planning Department.

3. Electrical Safety Authority: The same is true for the ESA. They have no issues regarding electrical safety and deferred us back to the Selwyn Township Planning Department.

4. Research facility: I intend to conduct three types of research at this location and all of these studies require an environment that does not have elevated levels of electromagnetic fields/radiation. Trent University is not ideal for this research because of fluctuating levels of radio frequency radiation from campus-wide Wi-Fi and the many cell phone users on campus.

a. Test electromagnetic frequencies emitted by common electric, electronic, and wireless household devices that people have in their homes such as Wi-Fi routers, cordless phones, wireless baby monitors, electronic and wireless toys, lighting, etc.

b. Test the effect of exogenous (external to the body) electromagnetic fields to endogenous (internal to the body) electromagnetic properties of the human body. Trent University’s Research Ethics Committee (REB) has approved this research with human subjects.

c. Test the effect of exogenous electromagnetic fields on plant germination and growth. Plants to be tested include those purchased at garden centers.

d. Regarding diagnostics and treatment. This is incorrect information. We are trying to determine what biomarkers can be use to help doctors determine the beneficial and/or adverse effects of exogenous frequencies. In other words, this research will help doctors diagnose and treat their patients who are ill.

5. Workshops: We plan to hold up to 10 workshops per year (less than one per month on average). Most of these workshops will consist of 3-hour meetings; a few will be 3-day events. We anticipate that most workshops will have approximately 6 to 12 participants and certainly no more than 20 participants. This would be similar to having a monthly party with probably much less noise than most parties.

6. Research off Campus: Most people are under the false assumption that all research done at Universities is done on campus. This is not the case. Trent faculty and students conduct research off campus in many departments from Indigenous Studies to

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Environmental Studies to Biology, Geography, Psychology and Geriatrics. This includes research in urban and rural areas as well as field work that is location specific such as lakes, forests, farms, parks, seniors’ facilities, hospitals, businesses in Canada and abroad (South America, China, Europe, etc.). Trent has a program to encourage this type of collaboration with community members called the Trent Centre for Community Based Education. My collaborations are with health care practitioners in the community. Dr. Brenna Steel is one of those doctors who wrote a letter on behalf of this research facility. We will be collaborating to try to understand how to help some of her patients recover according to the research outlined above.

7. Blood Samples: The research related to blood as a biomarker includes measuring blood sugar (pin prick and drop of blood placed on a plasma glucose testing strip) and examining a drop of blood under the microscope. All material that comes in contact with the blood is placed into a hazardous container and returned to Trent University for proper disposal. It is not discarded in the garbage as one neighbour feared. There will be less blood than that generated when someone cuts themselves shaving in their home bathroom. So the “blood sample” refers to a drop of blood from a pinprick of the finger similar to how diabetics test their blood sugar several times daily.

Part 2 – Clarification of Misinformation presented at Open House, Selwyn Public Meeting, and All Candidates Meeting My research needs to be done in an electromagnetically clean environment, ideally one that is near Trent University, where I work. This is not easy to find in today’s world because of numerous cell towers, public and private Wi-Fi routers, smart meters on the side of homes, and other wireless devices that people use. I am unable to do this research at Trent because of Wi-Fi radiation throughout campus. Indeed, the Associate Vice President of Information Technology at Trent University stated the following on August 19, 2014:

One of the initiatives presented in the Strategic IT Plan was a commitment to expand the WIFI currently available across Trent University. Our commitment is to ensure that there is “complete” WIFI coverage by the end of April 2016. Complete for the purposes of this initiative is defined as; - WIFI coverage that extends to every corner of every Trent building - WIFI coverage that is sufficiently robust to handle Trent spaces where a high

density of users can exist I am concerned by the false statements generated by a misunderstanding of the scope of work proposed for this space. Below I address some inaccurate information and concerns that have been raised that are relevant to the rezoning application. Items relevant to rezoning application:

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1. Research should be done at Trent or in downtown Peterborough and not in a residential neighbourhood. Some of those who spoke at the Public Meeting on August 12, stated that this was important research and should be done, but not in their neighbourhood (NIMBY-not in my backyard). Unfortunately due to wireless permeation in our lives, this research cannot be done at Trent, or downtown Peterborough because the levels of radiation are too high and I require a clean electromagnetic environment. To convert a place in downtown Peterborough into a “clean electromagnetic environment” would be cost prohibitive. I now have a relatively clean lab at Trent University and can conduct some of my work there related to monitoring some technology and teaching of my students but I am unable to bring people to that lab because levels of radio frequency radiation in the hallway are high and people who are electrically hypersensitivity cannot be exposed to this radiation prior to testing because it can affect test results. So I still require a clean electromagnetic environment for working with human subjects.

2. There will be adverse effects on neighbours. Nothing that I propose to do at Glenwood Street will have any adverse effects on the neighbours. The primary source of their exposure to radio frequency radiation is and will remain the devices in their own homes. Indeed, the Research Ethics Board at Trent University has approved my research with human subjects. This is a rigorous process. If the research is approved by Trent there is no other jurisdiction that needs to be concerned about what I am doing as there is no harm to those participating and those monitoring and there is certainly no danger to neighbours. Trent University has no objection to my research being conducted off campus. Indeed, the off-campus location was part of the proposal submitted to the Research Ethics Board.

3. Concerns have been raised that my research will interfere with neighbours’ ability to use wireless technology within their own homes. My work will not interfere with their wireless technology.

4. Comments in the Peterborough Examiner stated that people should be concerned about radioactive materials. This is utter nonsense, as I do not work with radioactive material. However, it indicates the level of misunderstanding and misinformation being generated.

5. Excess traffic related to research. The increase in traffic will be marginal as there will be one or two people at any one time visiting this facility. I have space for 4 vehicles in the driveway. The increase in traffic will be the same as that of an account working out of his/her home. Just as an accountant or a lawyer or a manicurist will have one “client” visiting at a time, I will have one person that is being tested at a time, and there is plenty of parking space in the driveway. This will not produce excess traffic.

6. Excess traffic related to workshops/meetings. In the event of a workshop, we have parking available off site and can shuttle people to the ROSE learning centre if they are unable to walk the short distance.

7. This environment isn’t safe for pedestrian traffic for those walking from the off-site parking location to Glenwood Street because there are no sidewalks. If this were true (and it isn’t) then it is also not safe for the dog-owners who walk their

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dog around the block twice a day and children who walk home from the school bus drop-off location at the intersection of Woodland and Woodward.

8. Strangers will be coming to this community. We do not live in a gated community and strangers can and will come to this community totally unrelated to the proposed rezoning

9. Research has started and has been ongoing. Contrary to the false statements made repeatedly at the open house, at the public meeting and at the recent Candidates’ meeting, I have started neither the monitoring of equipment nor the human research as I am awaiting rezoning approval. I am not conducting any research at this location.

10. Research on animals. There will be no research on animals and I will not have lab rats, mice, guinea pigs or any other test animals in the building.

11. Hazardous or toxic chemicals. There are no hazardous or toxic chemicals in the building.

12. Research using illegal plants. The plants used in research involve those that can be purchased at garden centers. We are not doing research with medicinal marijuana or illegal plants.

13. Research is (should be) done only on campus. Those who do not understand the functioning of a university may falsely assume that all research is done on campus. Faculty and their students often do research off campus, especially in my Program (Environmental and Resource Studies) as well as in other departments such as biology, geography, psychology, nursing, Canadian studies, native studies, etc. Interviews, questionnaires, sample collections, and monitoring are often done off campus. We have an active partnership program with members of the community in Peterborough and elsewhere. Indeed, The Trent Centre for Community-Based Education (TCCBE) has the following mandate: “Encouraging scholars to respond to the issue and concerns of the community, as part of their degree, through engaging in community-based research.” Rezoning is not required for any of these research projects.

14. Research implies something dangerous. Synonyms for the term “research” include: to investigate, study, explore, examine, make enquiries, and seek. We all do “research” in one form or another and research is an important part of learning. I doubt that neighbours are opposed to learning, especially in a community that boasts of a University and Community College. Someone who goes on the internet to get answers to specific questions, someone who tests a new recipe or experiments with fertilizers in their backyard are all doing research as are all students who do science projects. The difference is that their research isn’t necessarily published. Today more and more of us are working at home. The type of monitoring proposed for this location is something that is done by people who are hired to monitor environmental quality in a home and by health care professionals who visit elderly or ill patients recovering at home. In none of these case is rezoning required.

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Concerns raised that are unrelated to the rezoning application.

15. The outdoor landscaping I did, which includes the front yard, the back yard with sunroom, deck, hot tub and fencing has nothing to do with the proposed rezoning. This was done for my own enjoyment. I did get approval for the sunroom and the deck and the fence is regulation height and did not require approval.

16. The light in the front room, that seems to bother my neighbour across the street, mimics a TV set. It has not been turned on since his complaint. It has nothing to do with research.

17. The house at Glenwood is not deserted. I spend considerable time there working in my home office, having meals, and entertaining friends. I occasionally sleep there. I have family staying there three to four days each week (as the grandchildren go to school in Peterborough and Lakefield) and I have guests visiting on the weekend. That is why there is recycling and garbage generated.

18. I do not propose to house foreign graduate students at Glenwood Street, as I need the space upstairs for friends and family when they visit.

19. We did filming at the Glenwood Street address earlier in the year and will continue to do filming for a documentary. I have been told using a video camera in a Selwyn residence does not require rezoning.

20. I regularly give interviews to TV, radio, newspapers related to my research and will continue to do so. This year we hosted documentary video crews from Toronto, New York, California, and Russia. This also does not require rezoning.

21. Apart from the sunroom, which is external to the house, I have done no internal renovations that involved removing walls. The only “renovation” was replacing carpets with cork and laminate flooring and installing an inner door.

22. The replacement of siding with stucco was primarily to improve the insulation quality of the home. This does not require rezoning.

23. One neighbour complained that visitors to 319 Glenwood, would park at my home on Woodward Ave (note the two dwellings back onto each other) and walk past her yard that has only a waist-high wire fence. I have since erected a 6-foot tall wooden gate that is locked so no one can go through my yard past their home.

24. Because I do research in this area and know how harmful radio frequency radiation can be I informed my neighbours out of courtesy to them. Mothers who have newborn infants and have baby monitors should know that there are alternatives to the wireless monitors. Often this information is accepted gratefully as parents don’t want to do any harm to their infants. My neighbor who, unknown to me, was suffering from postpartum depression complained that I thought she was a “bad mother” when I told her about the radio frequency generated by wireless baby monitors. Her mothering capabilities, good or bad, never cross my mind. At any rate this does not relate to the rezoning application.

25. Property values apparently do not relate to the rezoning application. However, based on the improvements I have made at 319 Glenwood Street, property values are likely to increase rather than diminish.

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Part 3 – Report from Ecovue Consulting Services Inc. dated September 23, 2014, which I received via Kevin Duguay on October 20, 2014. Ecovue Consulting is asserting that I need to request an industrial use permit. I believe this comes from an incomplete understanding of the concept of “research” and a “research lab,” which can range from nuclear research with obvious access and location restrictions to questionnaires and survey that are conducted at shopping malls. The research I propose to do is benign in the sense it will have no effect on the neighbours. The Selwyn Township and Peterborough County planners have a more complete understanding about the nature of the research I propose and they did not recommend that I needed to apply for industrial rezoning. Out of courtesy to the firm that submitted this document I address some of the issues raised in 7.14 Criteria for assessing Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Development 7. 14. 1 The proposal shall conform to the requirements for the appropriate zone in the implementing Zoning By-law.

Hence the application for rezoning.

7.14.2 These uses shall have direct access to an arterial road, collector road or Provincial highway, and should be sited to permit easy and safe access by motor vehicles.

Direct assess to roads already exists. 7.14.3 The proposal shall be in keeping with the existing size and type of development in the surrounding area. Proposals which will conflict with surrounding uses shall not be permitted unless the applicant can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Township that the concerns can be overcome.

Not applicable as the size and type of development is an existing house in a residential setting.

7.14.4 Proposals which will create a substantial increase in traffic along local roads travelling through existing or potential residential areas shall not be permitted.

No substantial increase in traffic. 7.14.5 All proposals located adjacent to residential uses shall be separated by a buffer strip, as set out in the implementing Zoning By-law.

Not applicable as this is not an industrial development. 7.14.6 Adequate off-street parking shall be provided and access points shall be limited in number and designed in a manner which will minimize the danger to vehicular traffic.

Parking space available for 4 vehicles. Nearby off-site parking available if there are more than 4 cars.

7.14.7 Advertising and signs shall be strictly limited.

There will be no signs on the property.

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None of the remaining items (7.14.8 to 7.14.15) is relevant to the rezoning application:

7.14.8 Open storage of goods or materials shall be permitted provided storage is suitably screened from adjacent uses and from public view.

7.14.9 Commercial and service industrial uses shall be encouraged to locate in nodes, adjacent to existing concentrations of commercial development. Consideration will be given to commercial and industrial uses outside of existing designated areas only if there is a demonstrated need and no appropriate vacant land exists within the designated area.

7.14.10 No use shall be permitted which, from the nature of the process or materials used, is declared by the Health Unit to be a noxious trade, business or manufacture, under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, as amended. 7-30

7.14.11 Permitted uses shall minimize smoke emissions, noise, odours or other forms of pollution. The appropriate standards and requirements of the Ministry of the Environment shall be adhered to and shall be the minimum acceptable standard. 7.14.12 Access points to commercial and industrial uses shall be restricted in number and located to avoid any undue conflict with the normal and safe functioning of any adjacent road. 7.14.13 The Township shall have regard for high potential aggregate resource areas and existing aggregate operations and the compatibility of the proposed development with these areas. 7.14.14 The Township shall have regard for the compatibility of the proposed development with areas designated as Environmental Constraint. 7.14.15 Proposed development shall be compatible with the Conservation Authority's water management practices.

Councilors have a difficult decision to make. The professional planners told me in August 2014 that they supported this application for rezoning (I don’t know if they still do). In the meantime there has been some highly vocal opposition from some members in the neighbourhood. Indeed someone went door-to-door asking people to sign a petition in opposition to the rezoning application. Since considerable misinformation has been generated and since we do not know what specific information was provided door-to-door I would encourage Councilors to place little weight on that petition. Several neighbours privately shared their support for this rezoning application although they said they were afraid of making this public for fear of reprisals. Perhaps a compromise is in order. In addition to either approving or rejecting the proposal for rezoning, it is my understanding that a temporary approval for a period of 3-5 years is an alternative that would not jeopardize the community. If during that period there are legitimate complaints, then the rezoning need not be extended beyond this temporary period. While this is not my preference I would be willing to accept this as a compromise. Respectfully submitted, November 12, 2014, Magda Havas, Applicant for Rezoning and Owner – 319 Glenwood Street, Peterborough, ON, K9L 2B2

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havas letter

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