About The Kamloops Area Preservation Association (Kapa)

Vision Statement

We envisage a vibrant, prosperous, healthy city in which we and our children can grow and thrive, set in a beautiful environment of productive ranches, woodlands, lakes and streams.

Mission Statement

The Kamloops Area Preservation Association purpose is to preserve and encourage the economic, environmental, human health and welfare of present and future generations of people in Kamloops and the surrounding area.

The Kamloops Area Preservation Association (KAPA) is a group of people brought together by their concern over the proposal to permit the development of a huge, open pit mine far too close to the city. KAPA is completely non-political, and its members include local ranchers, physicians, former mine employees, and residents of Knutsford and Kamloops. We are not opposed to mining, but we are opposed to the location of the Ajax mine, a massive, open pit mine part of which would be within the Kamloops city limits. The Ajax mine would be located on the high ground overlooking Kamloops, Knutsford, and the ranch-land on the southern perimeter of the proposed mine. If the project is approved it would set a Canada-wide precedent. Up-wind of the city, less than one kilometre from a residential area, and only 2 kilometres from an elementary school, the proposed mine would pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of residents, both within and outside the city. The peaceful and productive lifestyle of the residents of Knutsford and ranchers along Goose Lake Road and Lac Le Jeune Road would be shattered. The real estate value of homes located so close to the mine would plummet. The impact of noise, vibration (from blasting), dust and light pollution would irrevocably change the entire character of Kamloops, and particularly of the Aberdeen, Pineview and Sahali areas. The dust would easily be carried by the prevailing southwest wind over the entire city. There would be a significant loss of beautiful grassland, the destruction of lakes as recreational areas, and, inevitably, a negative impact on Peterson Creek, source of well water for those who live along its banks. There would also be negative effects on wildlife and a loss of precious grasslands.

This web site will provide a great deal of detailed information on the potential impacts of the proposed Ajax mine. There will be input from medical specialists concerned about the health effects of the dust the mine would create. There is input from those concerned with the livelihood of ranchers, and with the loss of so much beautiful grassland. There is input from Kamloops residents concerned about the heath and mental well-being of those affected by the mine, and also concerned about the negative impact on real estate values resulting from the presence of a mine so close. So please, read the information provided and join us in the fight to protect our city and its immediate surrounds from a project that would transform a beautiful landscape into a moonscape.