LETTER – Urban agriculture should be part of Ajax assessment

Open letter to Amanda Jane Preece
Director General, safe environments directorate
Health Canada

Dear Ms. Preece,
I have just gained access to Health Canada’s comments on the Revised Application Information Requirements/ Environmental Impact Statement Guidelines (Revision June 30, 2014) for the Ajax Mine Project. For some reason, despite your letter to Kamloops This Week, dated April 9th, 2015 stating that you would “work with the CEAA to make our advice publicly accessible, to help maintain an open and transparent process”, your comments have not been posted publicly on the EAO’s website.

The Kamloops Food Policy Council also commented on the Ajax mine proposal, both in 2012 & in December 2014 asking that agriculture and urban agriculture be added as two new Valued Components to the Application Information Requirements (AIR).

I find it quite astonishing that everything to do eating, food etc in association with the proposed Ajax mine seems to be stuck within the Country Foods Valued Component model. Your own agency’s comments make reference to consumption of traditional foods that are hunted, fished & gathered. Agriculture is totally ignored.

I find this confounding because the proposed mine is going to be built beside a city of 90, 000 people, many who grow their own food. Without backyard gardens, Kamloops cannot be food secure.
Agriculture is a major industry within our city: SPIN urban farms, 3-5 operating ranches, organic farms and a thriving Farmers’ Market could be negatively affected by this mine.

I cannot understand why your agency as well as the B.C. Environmental Office will not recognize the importance of agriculture and urban agriculture, especially backyard gardens, to the citizens of Kamloops.

I feel more & more like a second class citizen- that gathering and hunting takes precedence over the need to grow my own food.

With much frustration,
ELAINE SEDGMAN