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Kamloops Newsmakers 2014
Social media queries on Ajax following Mount Polley mine incident
KAMLOOPS – The announcement of Mount Polley’s mine tailings pond flood has raised concerns for residents of the Thompson-Okanagan leading to opinions from both supporters and those opposing the proposed Ajax Mine. The dam at Mount Polley Mining Corporation’s site near Likely, B.C. failed on Monday sending 10 million cubic metres of water and 4.5...
Trails at Peterson Creek closed due to flooding
KAMLOOPS – The Billy Miner Trail at Peterson Creek Park has been closed since last week when a flash-flood damaged walkways. The City is now working to repair the trails and assess the level of damage. Hikers are asked to respect signs and temporary re-routing to existing trails. The access road beside Escape Trail is...
Disaster Financial Assistance available for flood damages
Kamloops – Following the severe rain event that took place on July 23, the City of Kamloops has been diligently working to evaluate the damages that were sustained by the community and surrounding areas. This evaluation resulted in the city applying to the Province of BC for Disaster Financial Assistance. The province has now...
UPDATE: Power restored after storm cut off thousands of residents
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Power has been restored to most customers in the Thompson-Okanagan following widespread outages affecting over 16,000 customers at their peak. Sabrina Locicero with B.C. Hydro says power in the Thompson-Okanagan and Shuswap regions is back on for the vast majority of customers. Only ten customers remained without power as of Friday morning. B.C. Hydro...
City focuses on flood cleanup, tallying property damage
KAMLOOPS – While the flooding may have stopped, the City of Kamloops now has cleanup to worry about after buckets of rain scattered debris and poured through several buildings around town – including City Hall. “I don’t know the extent of (the damage),” City of Kamloops Manager Mike Firlotte says about the flooding at the...
Intense storm dropped record rain at rapid rate
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several rainfall records were broken Wednesday but a local meteorologist says it is the rate of the rainfall that is the big story. “A record rain doesn’t really tell the story, the real story is the speed which it came out of the clouds,” Doug Lundquist of Environment Canada says. “You can have...
PHOTOS AND VIDEO: Parts of city flooded after storm rolls through Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - The skies opened up over the city of Kamloops during a brief intense storm creating flooding across the city this afternoon. Kamloops RCMP asked the public to avoid Overlanders Bridge for about an hour because run-off at the south end caused flooding that dumped debris across the road. Officers and city crews closed...
Environmental response on Ajax ‘not good enough for the city of Kamloops’
KAMLOOPS — Council united in frustration Tuesday afternoon as they approved two separate motions asking for the Environmental Assessment Office to step up and help the residents of Kamloops better understand the proposed Ajax mine. Back in May, city councillors asked the office to host a public session to provide clarity on the process for Ajax...
Ajax open houses bring pro and anti under same roof
KAMLOOPS - A series of open houses this week allowed residents to get a closer look at the new footprint of the proposed Ajax Mine. They also gave those for, against and unsure about the project an opportunity to ask questions. Hundreds of people took that opportunity, with an average of about 130 people attending...
Ajax would impact air quality, health: Doctors
KAMLOOPS - The city is already burdened by air quality issues and the addition of more particulate matter via an open pit mine would put the people of Kamloops at risk, according to local doctors opposing the mine. The Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment, which formed about a year ago, said Kamloops need not...
Voters Society reveals more details from Ajax survey
KAMLOOPS — More detailed results from an online survey last fall on the proposed Ajax mine project have been released. The additional details about neighbourhoods, gender and age come just a week after KGHM announced changes to the footprint and operation of the proposed mine. More than 2,800 people took part in the survey conducted by the...
Community, not ore bodies, guided Ajax move
KAMLOOPS - The external affairs manager for KGHM Ajax Mining says they listened to community concerns over placement of the proposed Ajax Mine facilities but at least one group says the move announced earlier today does not fully address their concerns. “It alleviates the concerns somewhat, but it doesn’t come anywhere near meeting all our...
Ajax moving some facilities south, pit to remain
KAMLOOPS — The tailings facility is being moved away from the Coquihalla Highway and the waste rock facility is being moved farther away from the city but the open pit will remain about two kilometres from the closest existing property. “This new plan is an important adjustment to the Ajax Project that address community concerns...
City seeks clarity on environmental application process
KAMLOOPS - City council is asking those who understand the environmental application process and timelines around it to help ease public confusion by offering an information session for the people. Coun. Arjun Singh says he has been getting a lot of questions from residents about why council has not taken a stand for or against...
‘Significant announcement’ from Ajax coming this week
KAMLOOPS — The company has remained mostly silent since it announced it would be postponing the environmental application process to further study ore deposits in the area but KGHM, the company behind the Ajax Mine project, promises that's about to change. “There will be a significant announcement Thursday,” External Affairs Manager Yves Lacasse says. “We...
City steps closer to finalizing purchase of Daily News property
KAMLOOPS - It looks like the city is ready to move forward with the purchase of the empty Kamloops Daily News property. In March only 39 city electors returned responses against the loan of $4.8 million required to buy the property. At the time Mayor Peter Milobar said the site was considered a necessary purchase...
Boyce once again speaking out against Ajax
KAMLOOPS — Richard Boyce shocked people when he announced he did not support the proposed Ajax Mine and this weekend he will speak out again. At an October Rotary Club meeting Boyce, the president of the local steelworkers union, shocked the room when he said as it stood he could not endorse the project. “Personally,...
Ajax debate rages on Facebook
KAMLOOPS — The passion over the Ajax Mine debate reached an ignition point over the last week as talk of pipe bombs and blowing up the mine circulated on Facebook. One poster mentioned they were surprised pipe bombs weren't more common and that KGHM hadn't been targeted while another spoke of how environmental terrorism could...
Ajax aims for open communication
KAMLOOPS — KGHM Ajax Mining says it wants the community to talk about the project and is utilizing another online forum in the hopes of getting more local people talking. After taking the time to thank about 2,000 supporters with a party at Interior Savings Centre a couple weeks ago the company is now aiming...
VIDEO: Ajax wants more conversation
KAMLOOPS — Ajax Mining Inc. stepped out of the shadows this week with the release of a new video, a commercial that asks the community to focus on a conversation based on scientific facts and real information. The video was previewed at a private event for supporters on Saturday before being released online Monday. External...
Daily News property could become parkade, city hall or performing arts centre
KAMLOOPS — The former Daily News property could become the new downtown parkade, or a performing arts centre, or even a new city hall if the city gets approval for the $4.8 million purchase. Mayor Peter Milobar announced Thursday morning the city is looking to purchase the property, which includes the building and the parking...
Ajax would offer significant economic impact
KAMLOOPS — Ajax mine will have a significant impact on the local economy if operational by 2018, according to a recent study commissioned by Venture Kamloops. The study, released this week, shows Ajax Mine will directly employ almost 220 people and directly contribute $360,000 in municipal taxes annually once operational. During the design phase municipal...
Costs of air pollution latest in Ajax talks
KAMLOOPS — A local economics professor is set to talk about the possible economic impact the proposed Ajax Mine could have, including the way deteriorating air quality can affect the city's health and economic evaluation. Dr. Peter Tsigaris, an economics professor at Thompson Rivers University and Kamloops resident for more than 20 years, will look to...
Council keeping eye on Ajax project
KAMLOOPS — City council says they will keep their eyes on the proposed Ajax mine and as soon as any changes are made they will again request a federal panel review. An upset Coun. Tina Lange was the first out of the gate today as she suggested they send a letter to Environment Minister Leona...