Mining association president calls for ‘science-based’ conversation on issues
NEWS/ BUSINESS — A call for a public dialogue on mining-industry issues was delivered to about 180 people at a Mining Week luncheon hosted by the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce today.
Karina Brino.
Karina Brino, president of the Mining Association of B.C., said mining provides the materials for every day life that are often taken for granted. Copper, gold and Silver are ubiquitous in electronics, transportation and medical equipment, she said.
“It (copper) is in everything we need to keep our homes safe,” she said. “We’re trying to have a better conversation about science-based decisions.
“How do we find common ground?”
She said opponents of mining communicate with cell phones that use the very metals produced by the mining industry. “I would guess that most of those people who are protesting are most likely communicating on their iPhones.”
Brino said the industry provides not only direct jobs but indirect jobs. “There is such a tremendous opportunity to do something about it,” she said of youth unemployment. “I think we not only have an opportunity but an obligation to ensure our young people are aware of the opportunities for the future.”
She said Kamloops is a leader in the mining industry, noting Highland Valley Copper and New Afton but not mentioning Ajax. She said later she omitted Ajax because she was discussing operating mines rather than projects that are in the proposal stage.
“In Kamloops we have such an opportunity to embrace who we are when it comes to mining and mineral development,” she said. “It’s not just about profit, it’s about making that contribution in British Columbia for generations to come.”
Asked by Coun. Tina Lange during a Q&A what she thinks should be done about the Mineral Tenure Act to give municipalities more clout on mine-project decisions, Brino said the industry “would be happy to discuss gaps if any.”
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Brino said the industry “would be happy to discuss gaps if any.”
In the last ten years there have been changes or revisions or amendments to the MTA. Some twice a year, and some years skipped, since 2005, all made in favour of of the mining industry with no thought of the residents living in the communities that may be affected.
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“A science based conversation “would be nice , but in Canada we muzzle science with talking points from talking heads .
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Awesome post, Sean. I could not agree with you more, I was particularly offended by how Ms Brino pretended not to consider Ajax, and yet talked about “protesters” and their “cell phones”. I am an Ajax protester, not a mining protester. Too big, too close. And the process is NOT meant to assess a mine proposed to be so close to 90,000 people. Love the Swiss clock analogy – bingo!
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Here again is another example of somebody equating anti-Ajax with anti-mining. Yes, we know that copper is important and that we use it every day. But that does not mean that being opposed to the Ajax proposal is putting oneself in a contradictory position. If this mine was to be built say 20km from the city boundary, I might be willing to support it. The other thing that bothers me is Ms. Brino’s comment about “science based” conversation. As Richard Boyce explained to us, science only takes you so far. Mines don’t work like Swiss clocks. There’s a whole lot of unknowns, stuff which is unpredictable and which you only find out about once a mine is in operation. If you want to restrict the conversation to talk based on tidy charts and tables, then your missing half the discussion. And as Richard Boyce said, it’s the unknown stuff that scares him the most.
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