In the last month, two communication towers altered Canora’s skyline which continues to change.
On October 19, the date of the federal election, a specialized crew came in with a crane and erected a 150-foot communications tower next to the CN station. Working fast, the tower was essentially erected in one day, with only some minor finishing touches in the following days.
The CN had been using an antenna on top of the old “Saskatchewan Wheat Pool B” grain elevator just north of the station, but since the wooden elevator is now considered obsolete, it is slated for demolition. The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool was assumed by Viterra in 2007 and in 2013, Viterra was acquired by Glencore International.
It was just a little more than a week later that the communication tower at the town office was damaged by high winds and was leaning precariously. The tower, located on the east side of the town office building, is used by the Canora fire department which is housed in the same building. The somewhat shorter tower is used for the fire department’s VHF radio system and the pager system.
The main concern was to remove the portion of the tower that was leaning, said Michael Mykytyshyn, the town’s chief administrative officer. Since the damage occurred at a joint, the top part was easily removed and the communication antenna was affixed to the shorter tower.
The work was done as a stopgap measure to insure safety, but thus far, the shorter tower seems to be working just as well, he said. The fire department is to be reporting back to the town council whether or not the shorter tower will suffice. If not, a new tower may have to be installed.
