Councillor’s ‘Five conditions’ proposal on Ajax mine application rejected

Kamloops City council rejected a notice of motion by Coun. Denis Walsh today (Nov. 22, 2016) that asked for five conditions to be placed on the Ajax mine proposal.

In response to a question from Mayor Peter Milobar, Walsh said he still wouldn’t support the mine if the conditions were met but they would be “minimum” requirements if a permit is granted.

Be it resolved that following an extensive review and analysis of the KGHM Ajax (Ajax) Mine proposal at the edge of the City of Kamloops boundaries, the City of Kamloops has arrived at five conditions that must be adhered to.

The Ajax Mine proposal is not acceptable to the City of Kamloops unless, as a minimum, the following five conditions are met. These conditions are not intended to be an endorsement of, or support for, the permitting of the proposed Ajax Mine, but rather to protect our community in a permitting process that is largely beyond our control.

The Ajax Mine proposal will not receive support from the City of Kamloops until the following conditions are met:

1. Formal acceptance of the Ajax Mine and associated development by local indigenous communities (Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and the Skeetchestn Indian Band) who have land claims over the mine property.
2. Successful completion of the formal environmental review and permitting process and inclusion of all recommendations (best available practices) related to tailings storage facilities brought forward by the provincial Mount Polley Mine Disaster Independent Expert engineering panel (e.g. dry-stack tailings storage system).
3. Establishment of a world-class provincial oversight and enforcement agency completely independent from both the provincial Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Ministry of Environment which issue and approve mine projects, as recommended by the BC Auditor General. This independent agency will have the powers to modify production or halt mining activity if there are permit violations that threaten the health or safety of residents.
4. Establishment of an independent monitoring agency with sufficient funding provided by the province and mine operator to monitor the environmental performance of the mine. This agency will employ a sound and concise mechanism to effectively communicate with public organizations, local governments, and oversight authorities in a timely and transparent manner (e.g. the Ekati Diamond Mine monitoring agency, minimum $800,000 annual budget).
5. City of Kamloops to receive financial compensation which is reflective of the risks and impacts borne by City of Kamloops and affected residents. This would include:

• Completed strategic baseline studies for property and slope stability to be included within the terms of the permits and operating conditions;

• Strategic programming associated with mitigation measures to municipal services and infrastructure;

• Residential property protection plan; and

• An assessment of the costs associated with upgrading infrastructure to accommodate changed areas of growth.