LETTER – Milobar gives ‘five conditions’ proposal on Ajax the bum’s rush

Posted on November 9, 2016 in Ajax, Letters // 3 Comments

On Radio NL today (Nov. 9, 2016), Mayor Milobar was interviewed by Jim Harrison (copy below).

Jim Harrison frankly asks mayor for his frank(ly) opinion on the conditions/events put forward by Coun. Walsh on the KGHM proposal.

07:25

JH- “Coun. Walsh’s five conditions… has this bin helpful to the process or does it hinder the process?”

07:44

PM- “Frankly, I think it confuses the process and it makes it more difficult …

“Councillor Walsh has sent the exact same letter off to the premier and everyone else in government and they’ve rejected it… He challenged Minister Bennett at UBCM at an open mike, on the same topic, and it was rejected…

“Frankly, the process if it had any chance of success, probably would of been to start with Council, not start as an individual, and then come to us after you keep getting rejected, in my opinion, so… so we will see what Council wants to do with it … but ah……a lot of these types of issues we are trying to deal with anyways with KGHM, so I don’t frankly understand the point of it.”

08:25

JH- “… and that’s a wrap…”

My response…

Computer-generated view of proposed tailings pond. Jacko Lake and the pit are shown north of the pond, new waste rock stack is to right of the pond. Goose Lake would disappear in lower centre of pond. Part of Edith Lake is on far right.

Drawing of proposed Ajax tailings pond.

Frankly, I didn’t ask the premier or Minister Bennett for their opinion on my five conditions.

Just to be clear, my letter to the premier and “everyone” in government was a legal process that was a request/demand to the current B.C. government for a suspension of the application process and notification that a possible Charter challenge is been investigated. The input I received from the public, after announcing the five conditions proposal, brought focus to the more serious possible illegal nature of the process itself, and I have every right and duty to pursue this as a resident of Kamloops, a Canadian citizen and a City councillor who has a very good understanding the many complexities involved.

The previous press release that appeared in the media July 2016, simply outlined the proposal for five conditions that I hoped Council may be able to agree on. It was a political process intended for consideration by Council, at a future date, unlike my request for a suspension of the KGHM/Ajax permitting process.

The premier and “everybody” in government, were never asked to comment on the proposed five conditions, nor was Minister Bennett at UBCM open mike Q&A. There has been no rejection or dismissal of the five conditions to date, but today the mayor has apparently given it the bum’s rush.

DENIS WALSH

City Councillor