Kamloops mayor and councillor heading east on mine fact-finding mission

KAMLOOPS – The mayor and a councillor are travelling to three cities in Ontario and Quebec to find out what it's like to be next door to a mine.

Mayor Peter Milobar and Coun. Tina Lange will be going to Timmins and Sudbury in Ontario and Malartic, Quebec, according to the mayor's assistant Jodi Lewis. The trip is confirmed for April 29 to May 4.

A city staff member will also accompany the pair as an administrative assistant, Lewis says.

At the council meeting on April 5, Milobar told council the plan was to fly into Sudbury and drive to Timmins, then Malartic and back to Sudbury, flying back to Kamloops on May 4.

He said that would give time to visit with city officials in each town, tour a mine, experience a couple of blasts in Malartic and meet with business association and area groups affected by the mine. 

The fact-finding mission was suggested by Coun. Denis Walsh to give the mayor and councillors a sense of what a mine next to a city would look like in advance of council’s decision on May 9 whether or not to support the proposed Ajax mine southwest of the city.

Currently the proposed copper and gold mine is in the environmental assessment phase, with federal and provincial offices reviewing the mines application.

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