City of Brantford Council endorsed authorizing staff to move forward with a proposed telecommunications license agreement (TLA) with Rogers Communications. Inc. and its affiliates during the Committee of the Whole Operations meeting on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
The agreement will allow Rogers, and later other carriers, to utilize the Shellard Lane water tower, as well as other facilities, to expand their networks and enhance service across Brantford.
If officially passed at the Tuesday, November 25, council meeting, the deal will generate revenue up to $25,000 annually for the municipality.
“Financially, TLAs will generate up to $25,000 of revenue annually in license fees by the end of 2026 with long-term potential exceeding $90,000 annually per site as other telecommunication companies utilize the City’s equipment,” read the staff report. “There will be no operating costs for the City to establish the telecommunications equipment. Licensees (telecommunication companies) cover all related costs and must meet strict operational and aesthetic guidelines.”
Ward 1 Councillor Rose Sicoli said this was great news for the residents of West Brant, noting that she and her wardmate, Michael Sullivan, often receive calls and emails about the lack of cell service in the area.
“Barely a week goes by where Councillor Sullivan and I are not having somebody ask us about a cell service and improving the telecommunications network out in West Brant,” she said.
Sicoli then asked when the residents can expect improved network communications, and Dwayne Ayres, the City’s Director of Environmental Services, said it will likely be around midway through 2026. He also confirmed that other major carriers like Bell have also been contacted about leasing the space.
Ward 3 Councillor Dan McCreary inquired how the $25,000 leasing cost was determined, and Ayres said staff looked into what various cities across the province were charging and settled on the average price.
McCreary then moved an amendment to have staff bring forward options to Council to increase the cost of the agreement.
“It would be, I think, beneficial to us if we did get a few extra bucks,” he said. “Every dollar that we don’t find from a third party, is a dollar that comes out of the taxpayer’s pocket.”
Sicoli said she would not be supporting the amendment as she wanted to encourage the telecommunications to expand into the area, not deter them.
“The residents of Ward 1 have been reaching out to myself and Councillor Sullivan for many, many years and there is a huge pocket of under-serviced area in West Brant,” she said. “I myself live in the very newest area of West Brant, and I can tell you that the cell service there is spotty, and I want to do everything in my power to encourage these telecommunication networks to expand into this area, and that does not include jacking the price. At this point, not a lot of people have landlines anymore, so they’re relying on their cell service for life, for their children, and for calling emergency services, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to discourage that, so I am going to be voting against this amendment.”
Ward 4 Councillors Linda Hunt and Richard Carpenter said they too did not want to delay the item any further, and that they should move forward with staff’s recommendation.
Councillor Greg Martin then said that he would be supporting his wardmates amendment.
“They [staff[ did get a range of prices from various municipalities, and I think what this amendment is suggesting is that we look at going to the higher end of the range instead of going in the middle,” he said. “So I’ll be supporting this, and I hope it passes, because I would hate to see us leave money on the table.”
The amendment then failed on a vote of 9 to 3, noting that Councillors Sullivan, Sicoli, Gino Caputo, Hunt, Carpenter, Brian Van Tilborg and Mandy Samwell were opposed.
The item was then unanimously supported and will return to council to be ratified on Tuesday, November 25.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
