KGHM plans series of open houses at end of June to provide community with an update

NEWS/ AJAX —  KGHM International will take its plans for realignment of the Ajax mine to the public in a series of open houses scheduled for late June, external affairs manager Yves Lacasse said today.

Speaking in the wake of the company’s announcement that it will shift several parts of the proposed mine’s infrastructure south and further away from the city, Lacass told The Armchair Mayor News, “It’s very important that we keep getting the feedback. We want the community to know about this.”

Locations and times haven’t been confirmed, but he said the open houses will be held June 24, 25 and 26. A new 3-D model should be ready for the open houses, he said.

“We’re looking forward to engage and communicate.”

An online brochure published with today’s press release will be published in printed form and distributed to every home in Kamloops, he said.

Lacasse confirmed that the size and location of the open pit won’t be altered under the new footprint, though some minor changes to the slope of the walls may be necessary.

He said he couldn’t comment on the route of the Trans Mountain pipeline but KGHM International and Kinder Morgan are in ongoing discussions. The map of the new alignment shows the pipeline running under a new waste rock facility and re-located tailings pond.

The originally proposed location for a dry stack tailings facility has been under review since KGHM took over control of the project, said Lacasse. “That was one of the issues that was always part of the discussion.”

Potential issues included dust from the tailings, visual proximity to the Coquihalla Highway and “the potential risk for failure.”

“We thought there could potentially be a better way of doing this,” and a wet pond facility to the south was the answer.

“Now the project is a lot more compact. What that means is there will be less haul roads which will be less truck traffic, which will be less dust,” he said. Bigger trucks will mean fewer trucks.

“Most of the dust comes from haul roads and truck traffic. We’re confident this is a much better project.”