EDITORIAL — Anonymity hurts cause of anti-Ajaxers

EDITORIAL — The reluctance of business owners who oppose Ajax to let themselves be known to the public is unfortunate. It may be that the Kamloops Area Preservation Association, which gathered signatures from them, is the reluctant party rather than the owners themselves.

Nevertheless, the whole pro-anti Ajax debate has become tainted by the issue of anonymity.

For example, KGHM Ajax was criticized for donating $5,000 to the anti-mine crowdfunding campaign. If it had been sincere, said the critics, the company would have made its donation anonymously.

Well, said the company, lots of contributors have identified themselves on the IndieGoGo website via which the funding is being raised. In the end, it became academic as the anti-mine lobby rejected the donation.

But then, a letter to senior politicians was signed by 42 business leaders in support of Ajax. Turned out the letter was at least co-written by the mining giant and the signatures solicited. Why didn’t the mine announce upfront it was fronting the letter?

Because, said KGHM Ajax, the letter was never intended to be made public.

Not to be outdone, KAPA says it has gathered the signatures of 150 business owners in opposition to the mine, but it won’t release the names. Stand up and be counted, say the critics this time.

And that’s a valid argument, because that anonymity detracts from the credibility of the exercise. It is, however, the preferred practice of the organized mine opposition. More than four years ago, 60 physicians signed copies of a letter expressing concerns for airshed quality and demanding a federal panel review.

Their names were never revealed.

Maybe there are good reasons for wanting to stay in the shadows. Doctors seem to be concerned about negative effects on their practices, and it could well be that business owners are worried about being boycotted by mine supporters. After all, some opponents have said they’ll boycott the 42 business people who came out in favor of Ajax.

Or, it could be that the organized opposition to the mine is just being overly cautious. KAPA members often take to the streets to voice their protest, so why the caution when it comes to gathering support for their cause from others?

All this talk of anonymity and boycotts detracts from the  fundamental issue of whether Ajax would ruin Kamloops or be the best thing since canned peaches, but it certainly impacts the conversation.

When one group of people is willing to stand up and be counted for its opinions, and another group isn’t, it’s usually the ones who put their names behind their words who attract the biggest audience.