KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK THURSDAY
30 CENTS
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AT NEWSSTANDS
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AUGUST 10, 2017 | Volume 30 No. 95
TODAY’S WEATHER
Warm and smoky High 30 C, Low 17 C
‘MET WITH FIRE AND FURY’
2020 VISION IN THE POOL
Tensions rise between U.S., North Korea
Kamloops swimmers eyeing 2020 Olympics
A11
A17
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
‘Ajax is not likely to cause significant adverse effects’: government report ANDREA KLASSEN STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
cOAcH ✹ D&g ✹ BEBE
Cooler weather, clouds and rain in Kamloops’ forecast SEAN BRADY
STAFF REPORTER
sbrady@kamloopsthisweek.com
KTW FILE PHOTO Ajax would have “significant adverse effects” on Kamloops-area First Nations, but not on the local environment, according to a 459-page government report made public on Wednesday.
Skeetchestn and Tk’emlups bands — has opposed the project, arguing it threatens the area around Jacko Lake, Pipsell, which SSN considers sacred.
Representatives from the two bands were unavailable for comment before KTW’s press deadline. On the subject of other areas of concern, such as air quality, the two agencies conclude that a list of proposed conditions for construction and operation included on the EAO website would be enough to
mitigate the impacts of the mine. That’s raising alarm at Kamloops city hall. Public works director Jen Fretz said staff are still going through the report, but believe at least some of the conditions staff have advocated for during the document’s drafting have been left out.
If the forecast holds, those in Kamloops and other smokeaffected communities in B.C. might be able to breathe a sigh of relief by the end of the week — a fresher one. Although the risk of lightning comes with it, a shift in the weather, for the first time in weeks, means that rain and lower temperatures are on their way to decrease the risk posed by wildfires. The change will also cause a shift in the winds, and may blow smoke out of the valleys across much of the province. While the forecast shows some hope of change from the hot, dry and smoky conditions much of the province has endured over the past months, chief fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek said it’s still unclear at this point what effect the weather will have. “Rain is a real wildcard to try and forecast this far out,” he said Wednesday during a wildfire update conference call. See SHIFT, A6
See ACTING, A7
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The Ajax mine will cause “significant adverse effects” to aboriginal people who use the Jacko Lake area for traditional purposes, but won’t cause environmental harm to Kamloops, according to a report from the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office and Canadian Environmental Assessment Association. The report, which is open to public comments for the next two months, gives a preview of what information federal and provincial ministers will be given to make a decision on whether the controversial copper and gold mine is able to move towards construction. “The Agency and EAO conclude that the Ajax Mine project would result in adverse impacts on aboriginal interests, with the most serious potential impacts on [Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation]’s asserted aboriginal right to practice cultural and spiritual customs, ceremonies, and traditions in the area known as Pípsell, which overlaps the mine site,” the report, now available on both agencies’ websites states. The Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation — an organization representing the
Skies could clear later this week