Welcome to the Stop Ajax Archive
Updating of this site ceased in mid 2017
Open Letter from Malartic Resident to City Council
On March 15, Diane Gagnon, resident of Malartic, Quebec, read an Open Letter to our City Council . Her town has the largest open-pit gold mine next to a city in Canada. The mine has been operating for 5 years and is causing all kinds of problems. Gagnon and 700 residents are bringing a class action suit against the company this spring. She invited members of our Council to visit Malartic to see the effects and to talk with residents. Our Council voted in favour of this plan. To read her Open Letter to our City Council, click here.
KGHM AJAX, A Mine Too Close
The Kamloops Area Preservation Association (KAPA) is not opposed to any economic activity which conforms with the city's promoted image as a healthy place in which to live, surrounded by a beautiful environment. KAPA is opposed to the location of the proposed KGHM Ajax copper/gold mine.
KAPA is opposed to this massive development for the following reasons, and many more:
- it will be a huge, noisy, dusty open pit operation within 1.4 kilometres of the nearest residences, and 2 kilometres from the nearest elementary school.
- within six kilometres, downwind and downslope of the perimeter of the proposed Ajax mine are 8 elementary schools, 4 high schools, 4 senior citizen’s residences, one hospital (Royal Inland), and one university (Thompson Rivers).
- about 90,000 people could be exposed to the toxic dust (containing arsenic, lead, aluminum and much more) which will inevitably blow over the city.
- the use of 15 billion litres of water per year will create haze and fog over the city, and could well increase the water table and land slippage problems at Aberdeen.
- the devastating impact the mine would have on local ranchers, some of whom have lived here for generations.
- the probability of long-term pollution of the Thompson River.
We believe that the long-term economic future of Kamloops does not lie in the development of an open pit mine which, in 23 years, provided copper prices remain high, will close, leaving behind a devastated landscape, a negative impact on airshed quality, a badly damaged tourism industry and ruined ranchers.
This web site contains a great deal of accurate information on this project. Please take the time to read it, and send us your comments. better yet, give us your support.
To find out more or to help support our cause, email: info@stopajaxmine.ca
News Bulletins
June 15, 2017 - SLR Report and Town Hall Meeting
March 30, 2017 - Environmental Assessment Clock is Running Again!
March 27, 2017 - Celebrate the SSN Decision on April 1!
November 15, 2016 - Young Scientists Evaluate Environmental Assessment Process
October 26, 2016 - KGHM Ajax Will Not Pay More For City Review
October 24, 2016 - MiningWatch Predicts $100 Million in Compensation
September 11, 2016 - Expert Panel Coming to Kamloops
August 23, 2016 - Expert Panel to Review Environmental Assessments
July 21, 2016 - Town Hall meeting with Elizabeth May
May 18, 2016 - Soils Scientist warns of dangers to Kamloops from proposed Ajax mine
April 13, 2016 -- Site C Dam Presentation
April 7, 2016 -- Scale Mine Model in Art Gallery Lobby at TNRD Building
April 7 - Code Blue - Defend Kamloops!
April 3, 2016 – Crowd-funding Consultants Issue Report
March 30, 2016 -- Air-blast and your house
March 15, 2016 - City's Questions to SLR Consulting
March, 2016 - Crowdfunding Update
March 7, 2016 - Five Weeks Left for Public Comments
March 3, 2016 - Goose Lake Road Closure - Comments Requested
February 18, 2016 - Defend Kamloops - Post Your Comments
February 16, 2016 - Ajax Technical Presentations Coming Up
January 26, 2016 - Controversy Surrounds Application Release
January 14, 2016 - Ajax Application to be released January 18, 2016
January 8, 2016 - Tailings plan doesn't heed review
January 7, 2016 - Ajax action needed!
December 21, 2015 - KGHM Ajax must participate in SSN's assessment process
December 19, 2015 - Update on Ajax Application deficiencies
December 15, 2015 - Issues that will NOT be reviewed in the Application
December 7, 2015 - Assessment process January-March, 2016
December 3, 2015 - Write to Ottawa requesting a Panel Review
November 30, 2015 - Government is failing to implement key Mt. Polley Panel recommendation
November 26, 2015 - Ajax Application and Out-of-Scope Issues
November 21, 2015 - KGHM Ajax Application will be released January 4
November 18, 2015 - Urge Council to Ask (again) for a Federal Panel Review
November 12, 2015 - The Federal Election and What it Means for Environmental Assessment in Canada
September 25, 2015 - Town Hall Meeting, September 28
September 22, 2015 - Stk'emlupsemc of the Secwepemc Nation (SSN) file Title Case for Ajax Project
September 14, 2015 - Kamloops Direly News
September 13, 2015 - Ajax Mine Application in Government Hands
September 11, 2015 - First Nations implement own Assessment Process
September 9, 2015 - Rafe Mair's Modest Proposal: Scrap environmental assessments
Aug 21, 2015 - The Problem with (Self-Regulated) Environmental Assessments
Aug 19, 2015 - Town hall meeting will launch City's Ajax review
Aug 5, 2015 - New site for Kamloops air monitoring station
Aug 4, 2015 - The Mount Polley Disaster, One Year Later
Aug 24, 2015 - UPDATE to Indiegogo August
July 25, 2015 - Revised Application Information Requirements Released by EAO
July 23, 2015 - Radio NL Misinformation
June 29, 2015 - Social Impact Assessment Update
June 25, 2015 - Health Canada's Response to Urban Agriculture Concerns
June 18, 2015 - Local First Nations Lay Claim to Jacko Lake and Environs
June 8, 2015 - Business owners send letters of concern to Minister Bennett
May 10, 2015 - Ajax Application Delayed
April 22, 2015 - Letter opposing wet tailings facilities in B.C.
April 22, 2015 - Top 10 copper producing nations
April 12, 2015 - Next steps in the environmental assessment
March 27, 2015 - In Situ Mining - An Aquifer Contamination Threat
March 20, 2015 - EAO Requires Tailings Management Options
February 23, 2015 - Anatomy of an Open-Pit Mine Blast
February 16, 2015 - An Alternative to Open-Pit Mining
February 13, 2015 - BC to Implement All Independent Panel Recommendations Following Mount Polley
February 5, 2015 -- Dry-Stack vs. Wet Tailings
January 12 - Mt. Polley - factors leading to a failure of a geowaste facility
January 8 - City of Kamloops Public Comment Submission
December 5 - Tips & Topics for Public Comment Submissions
December 3 - Interesting Comments in Abacus Sept 2014 Financial Report
November 29 - How to Find the Online Public Comment Form
November 24 - Election results a blow to the pro-Ajax crowd
November 18 - Public Comment Period Nov 18 - Dec 18
September 19 - KAPA lawyers ask for environmental assessment shut down.
September 19 - Doctors say "No more room to pollute"
September 18 - Ajax Protest Outside Coast Kamloops Hotel Continues Inside
September 14 - Public has a right to comment on changes to Ajax plan
September 10 - "You get no say". Protesters oppose Ajax at Downtown Rally
August 29 - What is social licence
August 25 - Ajax dam should be classified an "Extreme" Risk
August 20, 2014 - KAPA reports major deficiencies in environmental process
August 8, 2014 - Terry Lake Agrees to meet with KAPA
August 6, 2014 - Lake Refuses to Meet
July 31, 2014 - Meeting with MLA Tegart
July 30, 2014 - Kerek and Dudy to Run for Council
Videos
Community Talk on the Proposed Ajax Mine, Part 1 of 4. ( Run time 15 minutes). Dr. R. Schemenauer speaking on air-quality information at a community gathering on the proposed Ajax Mine .
Community Talk on the Proposed Ajax Mine, Part 2 of 4. (Run time 15 minutes). Dr. Calder speaking for Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment Society on health concerns and air-quality information at a community gathering on the proposed Ajax mine .
Community Talk on the Proposed Ajax Mine, Part 3 of 4. (Run time 9:23 minutes). Dr. P. Tsigaris speaking on economic and employment concerns regarding air quality information and the benefits of an alternative path for Kamloops at a community gathering on the proposed Ajax Mine.
Community Talk on the Proposed KGHM Ajax Mine, part 4 of 4 (Run time 11:27 minutes). Tony Brumell speaks about some of the various stages that a mine must deal with during its lifetime at a community gathering on the proposed KGHM Ajax Mine.
BC's Gold Rush-Era Mining Laws have Favoured the Mines. (Run time 5 minutes) The Mineral Tenure Act needs to be revised so that communities adjacent to proposed mines must be consulted before mineral tenure can be granted.
Is This the Future of Kamloops? (Run time --28:48 minutes) With a mine on our doorstep, what would we have to look forward to?
The Ajax Mine and Your Health. (Run Time â 50 minutes) Dr. Brian Moench, is President of "Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment". His medical expertise has been an essential component in the struggle to make Rio Tinto address the serious consequences of the mine pollution it produces. He discusses the medical research regarding air pollution and its effects on the functioning of the human brain, lungs and heart
Physicians Brochure
The Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment has produced a great brochure that covers a lot of potential health risks of this mine, and it includes references as well. Click here to download it and share with your friends.
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