The petition raises concerns about the procedures followed during the environmental assessment of the proposed Ajax Mine near Kamloops, British Columbia, by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency), and about the role of Environment and Climate Change Canada (the Department) during this process. The petition asserts that the Agency failed to consult the public when it decided to conduct a comprehensive study of the project proposal rather than appointing a review panel, and asks whether the Department received any reports from the Agency on public concerns about the project. The petition disagrees with the Agency’s conclusion that the mine is unlikely to cause significant adverse environmental effects, including on the health and well-being of Kamloops residents—some of whom, the petition states, live only 1.5 kilometres from the nearest source of fugitive dust.
The petition asserts that the comprehensive study did not provide a rigorous analysis of issues raised about the proposed mine, particularly human health concerns related to the mine’s potential airborne emissions, which, the petition says, will blow into Kamloops. The petition states that the Agency failed to adequately apply or evaluate all relevant National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) emissions factors. It asks whether the Department had required that estimates of potential NPRI emissions be calculated for the project, and if so, where this information can be obtained.
The petition also asks whether the Department received any requests from the Agency to review its data on various topics: tailings and particulate emissions; calculations of in-pit retention as it relates to fugitive dust; emissions from topsoil and overburden handling; and assay techniques regarding geochemical composition of the minerals in the Ajax Mine deposit. The petition requests that the Department provide the results of any reviews that it might have conducted on data provided by the Agency for the Ajax Mine proposal.