Regarding the recent by-invitation-only meeting on Ajax.
The good folks that reside nearby the proposed Ajax mine must not read the Kamloops Daily headlines and opinions to the editor that often, or so it would seem.
This particular by-invitation-only meeting, as I understand it, was railroaded by those in attendance directly to the issues of dust and housing values?
Dust? This was already addressed as a headliner, right here in The Kamloops Daily News when the Highland Valley Copper Teamsters union leader blasted a recent mining meeting that was held at TRU. In that article he stated that virtually no member out at HVC in the over 1,000 membership has ever been off due to a dust-related issue. That's a powerful statement, and I would think these facts would end this dust-related issue for Kamloops.
Did those opposed at that recent by-invitation-only Ajax meeting completely miss this? With over 1,000 members at Canada's largest open pit mine at HVC in Logan lake, and with no dust-related issues/diseases etc. on file, what do you think the odds are that Ajax KGHM in Kamloops is going to "all of a sudden" develop this issue? Or its citizens.
Logan Lake and its happy citizens are all in good shape and I don't believe for a Kamloops second that those prevailing winds didn't carry that dust in and around the Logan lake community.
That would certainly be just a little naive.
I know of employees out at the HVC mine who literally wipe the dust created out at the HVC mine directly off of their parked vehicles and they suffer no dust-related health issues at all. Nothing toxic about it.
This dust issue is beating on a dead drum at this point, don't you think? If the thriving Logan Lake community and HVC are to be any example of no toxicity in their dust created, and this dust does not fall outside of the Canada approved guidelines, then it's been deemed safe. What more do these fellow concerned citizens opposed to dust need?
Housing values? There's no proof that any homes near the mine have declined presently, nor any proof to say that these homes near the mine location wouldn't, conversely, go up in value, when these potential future and highly paid employees may purchase them to be a little closer, in travel, to work.
LES EVENS
Kamloops
