Ajax ‘not black and white,’ let the process continue says TRU dean featured in video

NEWS/ AJAX — TRU dean of trades and technology Lindsay Langill is neither for nor against Ajax, but is in favour of “letting the process continue,” he told The Armchair Mayor News today.

Langill’s participation in a pro-Ajax video produced for KGHM International has been questioned by some members of the TRU community since it was released last week.

Concerns were raised about the fact he appeared along with his title as a TRU dean. Administrators aren’t supposed to take positions on public matters and some felt the video gives the impression he’s speaking on behalf of the university, which he has said is not the case.

Asked today to clarify if he opposes or supports the proposed mine, Langill replied, “I don’t even know if I have an answer for that one. There’s an application in place to build the mine.

“How can we make an informed decision without letting the process continue? It’s not black and white.”

He said he participated in the video because he believes a project “such as Ajax” would provide job opportunities for TRU trades and technology students.

“Ajax might be the flavor of the day right now but what’s the flavor of the day a week from now?”

Asked if that means he’s neutral, he said, “I don’t even think that’s fair. I don’t want to say I’m neutral if I get some information tomorrow. The pure answer is, let the process continue.”

Langill said he’s had phone calls from as far away as Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver congratulating him for speaking out.

“The only people who’ve gotten their nickers in a knot around the title have been some of our university academics,” he said.

He said he felt KGHM is doing “some progressive things” around community engagement. “At this point I don’t have any concerns” about the process, he said.

Langill’s complete statement on the video The Ajax Project – The Conversation:

“For students that are in the trades, what we now see and we’re starting to say too often is that our students are trained in B.C. and are working in Alberta. These are the students that we would like to invite home, but if we step back and we look at what could be gained by a project such as Ajax, I think that there’s many many opportunities that open themselves up so that we could tell our students, ‘Take your training with us, stay in Kamloops, stay in British columbia and make a difference within the community.”