Environmental Assessment

The Peterson Creek Aquifer should be declared contaminated if the proposed mining starts

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on April 4th, 2016 10:24am

“The Peterson Creek Aquifer should be declared contaminated if the proposed mining starts, concludes Dr. Kevin Morin, an expert in contaminant hydrogeology, after reviewing KGHM’s Application for the proposed Ajax mine near Kamloops, British Columbia.

Rafe Mair's Modest Proposal: Scrap environmental assessments

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on September 10th, 2015 10:37am

Rafe Mair’s Modest Proposal: Scrap environmental assessments.

Health Canada's Response to Urban Agriculture Concerns

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on June 25th, 2015 11:45am

On April 25, Elaine Sedgman, who is involved with Kamloops Food Policy Council, wrote to Amanda Jane Preece, Director General, Safe Environments Directorate, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada.  Her letter said, in part:

Tips & Topics for Public Comment Submissions

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on December 9th, 2014 11:11am

The deadline for submission of public comments to the BC Environmental Assessment Office is December 18.  We all know how busy December can be!  Why not take some time now before you get too busy to submit your comments?  We hope to inspire you with some Tips and Topics:

Governments Ignoring Public Concerns about Proposed Ajax Mine

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on August 20th, 2014 11:10am

News Release

The Kamloops Area Preservation Association (KAPA) is asking the federal and provincial governments to correct major deficiencies in the environmental assessment for the proposed open-pit Ajax copper-gold mine on the edge of the City of Kamloops.

Feedback on KGHM-Ajax Open House

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on June 24th, 2014 11:31am

Our protest sign team created a stir at all three open houses, held by KGHM to explain its new mine plan. Many KAPA members talked with the KGHM representatives. Later, a summary of our comments on the open houses was sent to the BCEAO. Here is the summary.

Federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq Rejects Federal Review Panel on KGHM Ajax Mine

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on February 24th, 2014 4:02pm

The Prosperity Mine near William's Lake was approved by the povincial assessment, then it was rejected by a federal review panel... then after Properity resubmitted, the federal review panel rejected it again! Perhaps that is why so many are concerned about this provincial assessment that the KGHM Ajax mine is going through?

Here's the response from the Minister for you to review.

Redacted Letter from the BC Centre for Disease Control

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on June 26th, 2013 9:30pm

The following press release was sent to the local media regarding the release of a redacted letter from the BC Centre for Disease Control regarding the proposed Ajax copper-gold mine. A copy of the letter is included at the end of the press release.

EAO Response to a Complaint Regarding the KGHM Ajax Mine

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on June 9th, 2013 11:33am

The below response is to one of our supporters that contacted the BCEAO regarding recent activity at the proposed Ajax Mine site. The respondent's name has been withheld.   

In Response to Terry Lake's Rebuttal to Dr. Calder at the All Candidates Forum

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on May 13th, 2013 10:52am

We received the following letter to the editor which was interestingly not published to either Kamloops This Week or Kamloops Daily News websites, so they asked us to post it to share the views of some members of our community.   For those who are unfamiliar, Dr. Calder asked Terry Lake if he would support an independent health impact assessment on the mine and many received Mr. Lake's response as quite rude and abraisive, and accusing Dr. Calder of being hypocritical since doctors use industry sponsored research when they prescribe drugs to their patients. 

Letter Shows Province has Ignored IHA Requests for Third Party Consultants

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on May 9th, 2013 8:19am

Through a Freedom of Information Act Request, we have found that Interior Health Authority had requested that "qualified third party consultants experienced in human health risk assessment be engaged to participate in the review of the study design and methodology plans and associated sub working groups. "

That request was made in July, 2012, and has been ignored by the Environmental Assessment Office as of March of this year. Because of the lack of transparency in this process, we had to file a Freedom of Information Act request to even get access to it, but we have attached the letter as well as an associated press releases sent out to the media last night. 

Mitigating Community Impacts of Mining Operations: Options for Local Governments from University of Victoria

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on November 27th, 2012 6:26am

We foudn a paper written by the Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria that discusses ways to mitigate the impact of mining operations on communities. Here is the full document.

Dust Problems in Peterborough?

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on November 21st, 2012 2:59am

It seems as though they are having some dust problems in Peterborough Ontario. We have obtained a letter send from the Peterborough County-City Health Unit that was sent out to all residents of Peterborough in August, 2012 discussing the rise in dust levels and the reasoning behind it as well as the consequences.   The nearby Unimin mine has been identified as the source of the elevated dust levels and they are (at the time of the writing of this letter) working with the mine to help stop the issue. The complete letter is here, and we've provided our analysis below. 

BC Hydro and Ajax Power Usage

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on October 7th, 2012 11:14am

UPDATED: We've updated some of our calculations to try determine the real tax revenues based on the subsidy we've calculated the mine will receive.

There has been a lot of discussion about the amount of power the Ajax mine will be using and how this affects us in Kamloops. Here's the facts we know: 

1. The Ajax mine is estimating that it will use 470,538,348kWh/year (from page 228 of the Ajax Mine Feasibility Study), at a rate of $0.035/kWh USD (or $0.0343/kWh CDN as of October 7th, 2012) from BC Hydro. http://www.ajaxmine.ca/pdfs/Ajax_Feasibility_Study_43-101.pdf

2. We pay for our power in a 2 step process. The first 1,350kWh we use is at a rate of $0.068/kWh CDN, and after that we pay $0.1019/kWh CDN.  Note that this has increased since our previous infographic was released earlier this year. https://www.bchydro.com/youraccount/content/residential_bill.jsp

KGHM Ajax Liability and Compensation

Posted by Michael Hewitt on September 10th, 2012 10:10am

In Councillor Arjun Singh's recent blog on www.yourkamloops.com in which he states his position on the proposed KGHM Ajax Mine, he appears to support the need to address compensation for adverse effects caused by the proposed mine. 

The Other Side of the Economic Argument

Posted by Dianne Kerr on July 6th, 2012 1:03pm

Is the Ajax mine really an economic boon to the community if examined through the lens of cost/benefit?   

Not This Mine, Not This Place

Posted by Dianne Kerr on July 6th, 2012 8:57am

What is happening in Kamloops is a microcosm of what is happening in many parts of Canada with respect to gutted environmental legislation and the determination of both the federal and provincial governments to facilitate exploitation of Canadian resources whatever the costs.  The proposal for a giant open pit copper/gold mine to locate within the City limits is also a precedent in that this is a healthy moderate sized community of 87,000 people with a balanced economy and attractive lifestyle. The City was here first with its university, regional hospital, and status as a Tournament Capital in Canada.  It currently attracts both new business and new residents without any mine in its midst.   If the senior governments can put a mine in Kamloops, no city with even low grade mineral resources like this one will be safe.  

The Role of the Community Advisory Group (CAG) in the Environmental Assessment Process

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on June 20th, 2012 8:50pm

The BC Government created the CAG in order to ensure that the concerns, questions and suggestions of the general public were heard, and dealt with in a transparent manner. It is therefore only logical that the CAG should be fully involved throughout the Environmental Assessment (EA) review process. It is far more representative of the general public of Kamloops and area than is the Technical Working Group. The latter consists of about 45 members, 36 of whom represent federal and provincial departments and agencies. The balance are First Nations representatives, municipal officials (TNRD), and one member who represents the City of Kamloops. In contrast, the CAG has a broad and diverse membership, widely representative of the residents of Kamloops and the surrounding area. And most importantly, it is independent of government influence.

Overview of the Environmental Review Process

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on April 17th, 2012 2:02pm

Here is a brief review of the environmental review process. The EAO document "The Environmental Review Process" can be found on the internet at: www.eao.gov.bc.ca/ea_process.html

The Role of the Community Advisory Group (CAG)

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on April 17th, 2012 11:02am

The BC Government created the CAG in order to ensure that the concerns, questions and suggestions of the general public were heard, and dealt with in a transparent manner. It is therefore only logical that the CAG should be fully involved throughout the Environmental Assessment (EA) review process. it is far more representative of the general public of Kamloops and area than is the Technical Working Group. The latter consists of about 45 members, 36 of whom represent federal and provincial departments and agencies. The balance are First Nations representatives, municipal officials (TNRD), and one member who represents the City of Kamloops. In contrast, the CAG has a broad and diverse membership, widely representative of the residents of Kamloops and the surrounding area.

KAPA report on the March 28 meeting of the Community Advisory Group

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on April 12th, 2012 8:06pm

The BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) has created a Community Advisory Group (CAG), tasked with seeking input from the residents of Kamloops and the addressing their concerns. The membership of CAG includes the following organizations; Grasslands Conservation Council of BC, Kamloops Area Preservation Association (KAPA) Kamloops Naturalist Club, Kamloops & District Fish & Game Association, Kamloops Astronomical Society, Kamloops Stockmen's Association, Pineview Community Group, Thompson Institute of Environmental Studies, Aberdeen Highlands Development Corporation, Kamloops Fly Fisher's Association, Thompson Watershed Coalition, Aberdeen Community Association, Coalition to protect East Kamloops and the Lac Le Jeune Community Association (representing residents living along the Lac Le Jeune Road adjacent to Kamloops). 

KAPA Submission to BC EAO Office

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on March 27th, 2012 11:51am

Today we have submitted our final response to the BC EAO public comment period. Today is the last day to make submissions, so if you do have time please review our document and submit your own questions as well to the BC EAO web site. Click here for the Ajax public comment form, and here is KAPA's submission to the BC EAO.

Resident of Kamloops Speaks Out

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on February 13th, 2012 9:42pm

The following letter was recently sent to the BCEAO/CEAA officials as the author's response to the Ajax mine proposal. A copy was also sent to KAPA. The letter epitomizes the concerns an increasing number of Kamloops residents have concerning the proposal to locate this huge mine far too close to Kamloops. It should serve as a wake up call to our city councillors that is is high time they did more than just sit back and wait to see what will happen. Doesn't the city, having requested a federal panel review - and been refused - feel any responsibility in the issue? How has the city followed up on it's request for answers to questions, sent in a letter to the BCEAO last July? Have any replies been received, and if so, will that information be made public? We can only hope that it won't be left to individuals, and organizations such as KAPA to insist on a fair and transparent response to legitimate questions.

City of Kamloops Air Quality Survey

Posted by Michael Hewitt on February 1st, 2012 11:17am

The City of Kamloops Air Quality Survey is an interesting and informative document. It raises a number of air quality health-related issues which, in light of the proposal to develop a huge open pit mine with the city limits, should be treated very seriously. Dust is one form of particulate matter (PM), and the proposed mine will generate lots of it, much of which will be blown over Kamloops by the prevailing southwest wind. Dust from the mine could include such toxic elements as arsenic, chromium, uranium, lead, manganese, mercury, and strontium. It should be noted that the Abacus Feasibility Study states that the rock at Ajax can be reground as fine as between 8 to 17 μm, (micrometres, 1000th of a metre) with a median of 12 μm. That is finer than the diameter of a human hair, which ranges from 18 to 180 micrometres. The Air Quality Survey makes a few very interesting statements regarding PM, and ends with an almost poignant vision of Kamloops in the future, ("Where We Are Going") a vision which KAPA strongly supports, and which demonstrates  exactly why the proposed mine should not be approved. Here are some extracts from the Air Quality Review.

Letter from Kamloops Physicians and Surgeons

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on December 2nd, 2011 6:00am

In light of Federal Environmental Minister Peter Kent's refusal to appoint an independant panel review "at this time" for the Ajax Mine, we would like to present the following letter that was also sent to Peter Kent on behalf of the Physicians and Surgeons of the City of Kamloops and surrounding area. There was overwhelming support by the majority of the physicians and surgeons  for a Federal Panel Review, and 60 signatures were obtained in a period of 3 days. A PDF copy is attached here.

BC Interior Health Authority Writes to BC Environmental Assessment Office

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on November 1st, 2011 7:48am

The BC Interior Health Authority (IHA) has written to the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) setting out in detail a number of areas which the IHA believes must be fully addressed in an environmental assessment of the Ajax project. The IHA letter makes specific reference to the Provincial Guidance on Application of Provincial Air Quality Criteria for total particulate matter and respirable dust. The IHA also refers to the CCME Guideline for Continuous Improvements for Keep Areas Clean, and states that both of these sets of guidelines should be considered as guiding principles in the environmental assessment of Ajax. The IHA notes that the dust inventory should include total particular matter and respirable dust. The IHA notes that no safe thresholds have been identified for respirable particulates.

Comparison of the BC and Federal Environmental Assessments for the Prosperity Mine

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on October 19th, 2011 7:40pm

An independent report was commissioned by the Northwest Institute to compare the BC provincial and Federal environmental assessment of the Prosperity Mine in BC. We've included the report in full here, as well as the press release announcing the study. 

Full Report

Announcing Press Release

Letter to Cathy McLeod from KAPA RE: Ajax Mine

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on October 12th, 2011 2:29pm

The following letter was sent to Cathy McLeod on October 12, 2011 after she publicly stated in the October 6th edition of the Kamloops Daily News that she would take the city's request for a federal review panel however she did not believe a federla review panel was warranted. 

"McLeod said while she's willing to take the City's concerns to Kent, she doesn't believe that Ajax requires a review panel."

Why Does the Ajax Mine Proposal Need a Federal Environmental Review Panel?

Posted by Don Barz on September 13th, 2011 10:34pm

Currently, the Ajax open pit copper-gold mine proposal located partly within and immediately upslope and upwind of Kamloops, a city of 90,000 people, is only subject to a provincial environmental assessment and a federal comprehensive study.  Mine projects with far lesser community impacts have received the top-level environmental assessment available in Canada, a federal review panel, a group of experts appointed by the federal Minister of Environment, and operating at arms-length from the federal government.  The Marathon open pit copper and metals mine proposal, 10 kilometres from Marathon Ontario, a mine that is only one-third the size (22,000 tonnes of ore per day versus 60,000 tonnnes of ore and 120,000 tonnes of waste rock per day for Ajax), one-half the life-span (11.5 years versus 23 years), and only potentially affecting 3,863 people, recently received a federal panel review (August 9, 2011), while the much larger Ajax mine located to the much larger community of Kamloops has not.  Why?    

Sample Letter for Canadian Environmental Minister, Peter Kent

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on September 13th, 2011 10:16am

The following letter has been written by KAPA and we encourage all who are opposed to the mine to download, print, add your name, and mail it to The Honourable Peter Kent. You are welcome to modify the letter to suit your needs, we have provided this as a starting point for those who would like to contact the Minister with your concerns. 

An example of a provincial versus federal panel review

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on September 4th, 2011 11:20am

West Coast Environmental Law has a great article comparing the provincial and federal reviews provided for the Prosperity Copper Mine that was proposed near Williams Lake. It's a great example of why we are demanding a federal panel review for the Ajax Mine near Kamloops. 

Letter to Editor, September 1, 2011 from Don Barz

Posted by Don Barz on September 1st, 2011 3:03pm

Editor: Kamloops News:

I am responding to John Froese’s letter of August 13th (‘Ajax concerns call for clarification’) in which he purports to provide clarification of issues I raised in my letter of August 10th (‘Tougher Review Process Needed’).  Froese cites the issues of impacts on water bodies and acid drainage and insinuates that my comments on these concerns need clarification.  A careful review of my letter shows that I made no comments whatsoever on these two issues, so I am not certain what Mr. Froese is trying to clarify.