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APRIL 4, 2017 | Volume 30 No. 40
DAY 114 OF REVISED 290-DAY PROCESS ON KGHM AJAX’S APPLICATION
Review of proposed mine to end on Sept. 27 Countdown to decision day on mine
ANDREA KLASSEN STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
ANDREA KLASSEN
STAFF REPORTER
andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
With an environmental review of the proposed Ajax copper and gold mine once again underway — with 110 days added to the 180-day review period, meaning the review should be finished by Sept. 27 — here are a few significant events set to unfold during the rest of the year: • City of Kamloops review: The city spent about $500,000 ($300,000 of which came from mine proponent KGHM), to have SLR Consulting study KGHM’s application for environmental review. See EVENTS, A4
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KTW FILE PHOTO
Supporters of the Tk’emlups, Splatsin and Skeetchestn First Nations gathered at Jacko Lake in June 2015 as the bands signed documents declaring aboriginal title to the lake and adjacent land. Jacko Lake, south of Aberdeen, is known as Pipsell to local First Nations.
An environmental review of the proposed Ajax mine, which has been on hold for nearly a year, is once again on the clock — but the process to restart the review will take longer than expected. The B.C. Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO) review of KGHM Ajax’s 18,000-page application restarted on March 29, on Day 108 of what was initially a 180-day process. That timeline has been extended by an additional 110 days, which the EAO said will “align with the federal review timeline” and allow for another 30-day comment period. During that time, members of the public can weigh in on the BCEAO’s and Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s assessment of the project and draft conditions for its acceptance. First Nations groups will also be consulted on the draft plan. The revised review period will end on Sept. 27. In a letter to KGHM Ajax, Kevin Jardine, associate deputy minister for provincial environmental assessments, said the two groups have been working closely while the Ajax
BLAZERS’ SEASON ENDS
application was suspended. “Going forward, the agency and the EAO have agreed to seek a greater level of co-ordination, which will include striving to align our respective timelines and to prepare a joint assessment report to inform separate federal and provincial decisions,” he said. Jardine said the approach will provide greater certainty in the process and ensure ministers at both levels are considering the same information on the mine. The additional days will move the end of the review process to late September. Once it wraps up, B.C.’s ministers of environment and energy and mines will have 45 days to decide whether to approve the project. The project needs the consent of both Victoria and Ottawa to proceed. In April 2016, the BCEAO paused the application for an environmental permit at Day 107 to allow proponent KGHM more time to respond to public, city and First Nations comments. Responses to those comments and questions are now online at projects.eao.gov.bc.ca. Jardine said he is satisfied the company has adequately responded to those queries. See CITY, A2
SEEING THE LIGHT
Kelowna eliminates Kamloops in Game 6
Kamloops tech firm expands to Washington, D.C.
A19
A15