Request for additional public comment period for B.C. mine rejected

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The provincial Environmental Assessment Office has rejected a request to do more public consultation on a proposed copper-gold mine that would be located partially within the city of Kamloops in south central B.C.

Residents already had a chance to provide input during the pre-application process, but Kamloops city council requested a second public comment period because mine company KGHM Ajax proposed changes to the project earlier this year.

The proposed changes are a response to community concerns about health risks, and they include moving the open-pit mine farther away from the initial location and eliminating a tailings stack in favour of a conventional tailings pond.

Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar says the mine would still be close to the city, and another public comment period would allow people to voice their concerns about the proposed changes and better understand how the project will be assessed.

City council had also asked federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq to tour the potential mine site, but that request was rejected as well.

KGHM Ajax plans to submit an environmental assessment application by spring 2015, after which the federal and provincial government will decide whether to approve the project which the company says will produce 60,000 tonnes of mineral ore a day and employ 500 people over 20 years. (CFJC)