Kamloops will be introduced to Ajax Mine's "new operator," KGHM International, during an open house on Jan. 15 and 16, according to project spokesman Norm Thompson.

But residents shouldn't expect answers to long-held questions over the copper-and-gold project just yet, he said.

"It'll be the same-old information. We don't have any new information at this time to release."

Instead, proponents hope the community will come out to meet the members of the KGHM International team and learn how they operate.

Last April, KGHM purchased an 80 per cent stake in Ajax, which is proposed for the outskirts of Kamloops.

"(The open house) will talk about what we do and some of the other operations we have around North America," said Thompson.

Unanswered questions about Ajax have loomed for more than a year.

The event is happening Jan. 15 and 16 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Kamloops Convention Centre ballroom, 1250 Rogers Way.

The company's representatives are fully prepared to greet the protestors that will inevitably show up, said Thompson.

Meanwhile, the community and City of Kamloops officials are still waiting to hear about such things as health impacts, height of waste rock and tailings piles, noise levels, vibrations from blasting, groundwater issues, traffic, future growth in Aberdeen, air quality and environmental factors.

The amount of time it's taken to answer questions has led Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod to call on KGHM to come up with answers in the coming year.

"(This year) has to be the year that we get significant answers on Ajax in terms of the legitimate questions that have been asked by the council and by the community," she said. "I think it's important that sooner rather than later, we get those answers."

Proponents have consistently said details will be revealed through the environmental assessment process.

"We have 41 different value components that we're studying, and they all feed in to each," said Thompson. "We have First Nations that feed into it and all the environmental assessment people with both the provincial and federal governments that feed into it.

"So all things, it takes time to bring them all together."

Thompson will be getting some help with public outreach with the arrival of a new community co-ordinator next week.