Maybe it would be third time lucky on Ajax review request

WEDNESDAY MORNING EDITORIAL —  Sometimes City council shouldn’t be so polite.

Not to say they should be rude, but council members seem determined not to be pushy on Ajax.

Council asked for a federal panel review on Ajax. Leona Aglukkaq, now federal environment minister, says no.

Coun. Tina Lange suggested at Tuesday’s council meeting sending a letter back to the minister explaining that there are differences between the joint federal-provincial process that’s been designated for the mine, and a panel review.

The latter, she says, provides for more consultation. Tell the minister that’s why the community wants it.

That didn’t go over at all with the rest of council. Arjun Singh, Marg Spina and Nancy Bepple didn’t want to go there. Singh, in particular, thought council should just make the best of the current process.

As he pointed out, Mayor Peter Milobar has brought it up twice with environment ministers on trips to Ottawa — he thinks a third time won’t make a difference.

Milobar rescued something out of Lange’s concern by saying he could write a letter as long as he didn’t get into “a semantics match” with Aglukkaq over the differences or similarities between the two processes.

Lange relented to the idea of writing a “diplomatic” letter, and the motion then passed. Coun. Donovan Cavers suggested the minister be invited to Kamloops, which will be added into the letter.

So now, the letter will at least say something substantive, namely that Aglukkaq should come to Kamloops. But whether council has officially or unofficially given up on the idea of a panel review is fuzzy, which tends to happen when you’re being too careful about what you say.