THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF NELSON

REQUEST FOR DECISON

DATE:
December 7, 2015 Regular Meeting
TOPIC:
Public WiFi
PROPOSAL:
Permit public WiFi at various public places
PROPOSED BY: Staff
_____________________________________________________________________
ANALYSIS SUMMARY:
At the November Regular Meeting, staff introduced the opportunity of providing free public
WiFi in City buildings and parks. Council referred the matter back to staff for further
information which is presented in this report.
BACKGROUND:
At the November Regular Meeting staff were requested to gather more information on free
Public Wifi as follows:
Public Consultation
Staff conducted a simple informal 2 question survey on the Citys Facebook Page.
1. Do you want to have access to free WiFi in public spaces (including parks)?
168 people responded, 126 are in favour (75%)
2. If free WiFi is made available in public buildings and parks in Nelson, will it matter to
you whether the service is delivered by a private business or the City of Nelson?
168 people responded, 109 say it does not matter who provides the service (64.9%)
Feedback from Other Communities using Shaw GoWifi
Staff received feedback from three municipalities that are currently using Shaw GoWifi with
the following results:
All are using Shaw Go Wifi as the provider of free public Wifi in their public spaces
(buildings and parks) and all have separate City Wifi networks for staff.
All had a positive experience working with Shaw during the installation of the
network. Shaw was found to be flexible (listening to the needs of the City), very
organized, detail plan.
Implementation was completed in a professional, timely manner.
None went through a public process before providing the service, a demand by the
public was recognized by staff and using Shaw GoWifi was the most cost affective
approach to fulfill the need.
All indicated that public response since the service has been provided has been
positive.
Public provided Wifi at NDCC and Nelson Library
The Nelson Library existing city supported Wifi network was not designed to cover their new
spaces effectively (quiet rooms encased in glass, basement) and cannot support the high
usage requirements. In order to address the demands of the public, the existing Wifi
service must be upgraded. Providing a City supported solution will cost approximately
$6,000 and will require staff time for installation. The Shaw GoWifi solution will supplement
the existing Wifi solution at the Library providing the increased service required at no cost to
the City.

The NDCC has indicated they are in favour of Shaw providing adidtional public Wifi
Services at their facility. The existing staff supported Wifi is facing challenges because it
does not support current technology demands from the public. Their preference is to have
Shaw equipment meet those demands rather than having to fund and support that
technology in-house.
BENEFITS OR DISADVANTAGES AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS:
Access to free public WiFi is an increasing expectation of the public. Using SHAW to provide
this service means that the City will incur neither capital costs to install the service nor
ongoing costs to maintain the service. Maintenance of the service will include the need to
upgrade equipment as technology continues to advance. City resources will not be used to
provide customer service and support.
Public Works (Parks) have provided their full support for provision of free public WiFI in the
City parks.
LEGISLATIVE IMPACTS, PRECEDENTS, POLICIES:
It is within Councils authority to provide this service to the public.
COSTS AND BUDGET IMPACT - REVENUE GENERATION:
Capital costs for implementation of the service and ongoing maintenance costs will be the
responsibility of SHAW. City staff will be used for oversite of the installation and will not be
responsible for ongoing customer support.
Included is an attachment from the Citys Manager of IT and Fibre outlining costs and
responsibilities if the City were to provide a free Wifi solution.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:
There may be concerns from some members of the public regarding radio frequency
emissions. WiFi radio frequencies are emitted with such low power that according to
Health Canada, they pose no health concern. The attached document titled Safe
Wireless Alternative shows the amount of emissions provided by various products with the
WiFi devices and access points on the lowest spectrum of the scale. Emissions from
cellular devices are at the highest end of the spectrum and it should be noted that cellular
connectivity is throughout the City including City parks where the public is already
connecting electronically using their cellular network devices. Included is a sheet from
Health Canada regarding frequently asked questions about Wifi.
COMMUNICATIONS:
SHAW will be notified of Councils decision. Once the service is available, the public will
be notified through the Citys website and Facebook page.
OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve installation of free public WiFi using SHAW as the service provider
2. Approve installation of free public WiFi using an alternate service provider
3. Do not approve installation of free public Wifi.
4. Refer to staff for further information
ATTACHMENTS:
Comments from Managers/Operators of City Facilities
Statement from Shaw Communications
City of Nelson Wireless Solution

Health Canada Frequently Asked Questions about WiFi

WiFi information sheet

RECOMMENDATION:
That Council passes the following resolution:
That Council approves the installation of free public WiFi in City public facilities and parks
AND FURTHER
That Staff is authorized to enter into an agreement with SHAW for provision of those
services.
AUTHOR:

REVIEWED BY:

____________________________
DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE
SERVICES

____________________________
CITY MANAGER

Shaw GoWifi Comments from City Facilities Managers/Operators

Library:
As long as we remain on a high priority (as much as possible) to get our own wifi system going
in here as its really impacting our member service. Our revenues are down significantly.
Just wouldnt want City Council to think it could be our sole service as it doesnt begin to
provide the level of service we require.
So yes we are in for this as one of the options for people to choose. It has very limited
monthly usage allowance so not sure its a huge benefit but there is no downside.
June Stockdale
Chief Librarian, Nelson Public

Touchstones:
As discussed, Touchstones Nelson would definitely be interested in being selected for a Shaw
GoWifi installation. Currently, we only budget for Wifi in the basement archives for the
convenience of our research clients. However, we would like to offer free Wifi to the public in
our lobby area and to Society members and visitors in Galleries A and B. As part of our public
program activity we often schedule talks and presentations in these spaces that require an
internet connection. The lobby is a community meeting space and tourist hot spot - Wifi in
this area would allow Touchstones Nelson and the City to offer residents and visitors alike a
free place with good public hours to connect to the internet.
Thank you for considering Touchstones Nelson in your proposal. We look forward to being able
to offer this service to the community.
Leah Best
Executive Director, Touchstones Nelson

Capital Theatre:
When the Capitol has a contractual agreement for a hotspot at the Capitol, can this be cancelled
when i.e. we would have patrons checking their phones in the theatre and distracting other
patrons, or people want to use it i.e. in the lobby during a show which would could be
potentially be interruptive?
Would be great to get a contact info for Shaw to inquire about a splash page or other advertising
through. Thank you, and yes, we are in if above applies.
Stephanie Fisher
Executive Director, Capital Theatre

Youth Centre:
I have also discussed it with Fitz on the Programming side.
And, while I have my own personal reservations, we are both comfortable with the proposal, and
I see the potential benefits of having the free wifi in place, especially as we may choose to
discontinue the Columbia Wireless service post Skills Link.
Jonny Salerno
Coordinator, Nelson Youth Employment Centre

Civic theatre:
On behalf of The Civic Theatre, I would like to give my support to the City of Nelson's nonexclusive partnership with Shaw GoWifi to offer free public internet in our facility. For us, the
benefits of this service would be substantial, and complementary to our plan to have fibre
connectivity in our facility as well.
Free wireless service will offer our patrons a heightened level of connectivity. It will allow them
to make better use of their phones, tablets and laptops during webinars and other learning
opportunities in our venue, and will enable a new level of interactivity surrounding events
taking place in our venue. Given our goal to facilitate greater connection and dialogue with
people and communities through the streaming power of fibre optic, Shaw GoWifi will round
out our capacity as a wired facility and position us to hold events and gatherings with more
substantial technological capability in the future.
Eleanor Stacey
Executive Director The Civic Theatre

Statement from Shaw Communications

We currently have 92 agreements with municipalities in the Shaw Cable footprint from Sault Ste.
Marie to Vancouver Island. Of the 92 agreements, 78 are guest access and the rest are
commercial /paid agreements (this means Shaw pays the municipality a rental fee and only
Shaw customers can use the service). When we first started working with municipalities
approximately four years ago, we only offered commercial agreements. Many municipalities
accepted this offer and we entered into agreements with them. However, others wanted all
residents to have access to WiFi within municipal facilities. At that time, we added a guest
access offer and it has been very successful. In fact, approximately six of the 78 agreements
were paid access and were recently converted to guest access. So, we still offer paid access but
given it is minimal revenue to the municipality, most opt for guest access, including the
communities recently converted to guest access.
In terms of success stories, there are many. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. We
recently opened guest access to everyone during the fires in BC this past summer and for the
floods in Manitoba last year. These are benefits Shaw provides to all members of the community
in times of need, not just in municipal facilities. We also did this for the Winter Games in Prince
George and, as you know, will do the same in Nelson for your Summer Games.
Weve successfully deployed on the LRT stations in Calgary which had many moving parts so to
speak to coordinate and make happen. The service is hugely successful and highly used. This
was a highly complex undertaking and could not have happened without a great partnership
with the City of Calgary. There are numerous examples of finding creative solutions to provide
Shaw Go WiFi in municipal buildings / locations.
For me, our biggest success is helping municipalities provide their citizens with free WiFi at no
cost. Its a great partnership for all involved the City, its residents/visitors and Shaw. It helps
reduce the digital divide at a very low risk to the City and gives access to WiFi for many people
who might not otherwise have it.
Thanks, Shelly
Shelly Wiseman Director, WIFI, Government Access
Shaw Communications Inc. 22 Scurfield Blvd. Winnipeg, MB R3Y 1S5
T: 204-480-3575 C: 204-227-3472 F: 204-480-3540
E: shelly.wiseman@sjrb.ca

CITY OF NELSON WIRELESS SOLUTION

COMMENTS FROM THE CITYS MANAGER OF IT AND FIBRE ON A
Here are some additional notes to consider, if the City was going to consider delivering a public
wifi infrastructure:
It is important to understand that delivering a public wireless infrastructure requires delivering
a building network infrastructure, which the city is not currently in the business to do.
Even the Dark fibre is only delivered to the building, no electronics are implemented and
managed on top of that, the tenant is completely responsible for their own implementation,
support and monthly fees.
PLAN
Wireless Project Scope:
A public wireless infrastructure, delivered by the city, would largely depend on the number of
access points that would be required/desired. It is unrealistic to assume that the City can
provide public wireless coverage except in certain and limited number of locations, whereas
Shaw already has many other hotspots to fill-in the coverage for public usage.
Capital Costs:
- NDCCs wireless coverage for one building was $10K this does not include plan, design,
mount, installation, support and wireless access point device replacements (every 3-5 years)
- Library wireless upgrade was estimated at $6k this did not include design planning
(consultant), but the cost did include the AP installations (but not the wiring)
- Youth Centre Columbia Wireless provides the network and access point equipment,
included with the monthly wireless network fee, and the public gateway is isolated from the
city network
- IT does not have network switches in city owned buildings, beyond buildings where staff is
located, and therefore new switching equipment is likely required, unless the sites
switching equipment will allow the city access to manage their wifi devices - unlikely due to
security and they have their own network service providers.
- A wireless networking specialist and project manager would need to be engaged to plan,
design and deliver a public wireless infrastructure project costs are unknown, but plan for
a least one full month (1 week per site) for a dedicated person during the initial
installation/configuration/activation. This person will need to interact with all building
tenants/stakeholders.
Installations/Wiring:
IT does not do wiring in city buildings this would be outsourced to City electricians or
subcontractors, adding to the expense and city staff involvement
IT does not have special trucks and lifts that will be required to install these access points
(mostly ceiling mounted) this would be outsourced to city electricians or subcontractors,
adding to the expense
Monthly Fees for Organization using the WIFI:

Each public WIFI site would need/use their own Internet gateway, since we cannot use the
Citys CBBC gateway for public access, nor do we want independent organizations sharing
city infrastructure (firewalls, gateways, switches, etc). Internet Fees range from $50 300
per month per site depending on data usage. Shaw includes the Internet gateway and
equipment in their public solution that does not integrate with the organization and the
organization will not incur any additional monthly fees.

Support Notes:
- NDCC does not support its customers connecting to public WIFI, it either works on their system
or it doesnt. We would follow this model if we were to install the APS.
- The Library staff and volunteers support their own customers connecting to WIFI, the IT dept
does not get involved in any public wifi support issues on various devices it works or it doesnt
- The Youth Centre supports its own customers connecting to WIFI the extent of the support
requirement is unknown, since it happens throughout the day

Shaw Go WiFi

Safe Wireless Alternative

WiFi radio frequencies are emitted with such low power that according to Health Canada, they
pose no health concern. Health Canada's position is that no precautionary measures are
needed, since RF energy exposure levels from WiFi are typically well below Canadian and
international safety limits.
Shaws outdoor access points emit similar RF energy to a cordless phone, bar code scanner at
the grocery store, or a baby monitor.
More details can be found here at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/prod/wifi-eng.php
Health Canada produced a video in December 2010 that can be seen at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5OuxG6l4X4

12/3/2015