No hint from province as to when Ajax Mine application suspension will end

KAMLOOPS – More than 200 days after the temporary suspension in the review process for the proposed Ajax Mine, the province still isn't sure when it will restart.

The provincial Environmental Assessment Office isn’t hinting when the temporary suspension of the proposed Ajax Mine will come to an end. In a letter to city council, the project assessment manager Tracy James says work is ongoing with mine proponent KGHM Ajax, but wouldn’t give any ideas as to when new information would come forth.

“I recognize mayor and council have committed to a set of public engagement activities as part of your participation in the Ajax environmental application,” James writes.

While information will be forwarded when it’s available, according to the letter, no timeline is given.

The temporary suspension began May 4, more than 200 days ago. The application review period was originally scheduled to be 180 days, starting Jan. 19. The suspension started on day 108, so 72 days of the official review timeline still remain. If it were to restart today, Nov. 21, the application assesment would end Feb. 1, 2017, more than a year after it started.

Council officially requested an update in mid-October at a council meeting. They are waiting on more information from KGHM Ajax before holding a vote whether the support the process or voice opposition, though the city has no legal say in whether the controversial mine project moves forward or not.

For more on the proposed copper and gold mine on the city’s southwest border, click here.

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