KGHM Ajax is committed to all of Kamloops and believes that education, health, sports, and the arts are vital to any thriving community. The company supports a number of local charities in these areas. Because KGHM Ajax recognizes the value that the First Nations bring to its project, the company supports the Little Native Hockey League (NHL), the Howling Coyote Education Fund, and the BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association (BCAMTA). The Little NHL project provides Native youth the opportunity to be involved in sport. It’s widely recognized that team sports build social skills, confidence, and leadership. This skill-set allows First Nations youth to become contributing members of the Kamloops community, and society as a whole. The Howling Coyote Education Fund promotes the tremendous potential of First Nations youth in the Kamloops/Thompson school district by supporting their post-secondary studies. BCAMTA provides the skills, training and work experience that helps connect First Nations people to jobs in mineral exploration and mining. KGHM Ajax takes a holistic approach to support First Nations people from an early age through to the beginning of their mining career and is proud to support these three Aboriginal development organizations. On the environmental side, KGHM Ajax is working hard to mitigate any potential adverse environmental impacts resulting from the extraction of copper and gold from the open pit. That includes some concerns in the
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community about dust, air quality, noise, traffic, and light that are being considered as part of the rigorous environmental review. Once the full report is complete, the company and the community will have a better understanding of project impacts and how KGHM Ajax will respond to community concerns. The Ajax Copper-Gold project is poised for success given rising price and demand for its main metals of copper and gold, driven by the fast-developing nations of China and India as they rapidly build out their infrastructure. KGHM Ajax is excited about the opportunites the Ajax Project will bring to Kamloops communities and looks forward to working even more closely with members of the Tk’emlúps and Skeetchestn Bands. www.ajaxmine.ca