At the very least, Dennis Karpiak and Ken Blawatt can be commended for taking their passionate stance against KGHM’s proposed Ajax copper and gold mine to the next level.
But, the duo’s 35-page report on the possible perils the mine may bring to Kamloops needs to be read with a decided emphasis on “possible.”
As Blawatt conceded during a press conference on Friday, Sept. 26, at Hotel 540, the dire situations outlined in the report — affecting the economy and environment — are not facts, but possibilities based on estimates.
That much should be obvious based on some of the concerns summarized near the back of the report: A five per cent decline in the IQ of our kids, an increase in suicide rates, an increase in juvenile violence, the loss of B.C. Lions’ training camp and the very existence of Knutsford.
Again, these are listed as issues of concern about what may occur should Ajax receive approval and begin mining operations just south of Aberdeen.
However, there is an argument that a fully operational Ajax, over the 23-year life of the mine, will result in an economic benefit of $2.195 billion, which the authors claim will be overshadowed by a cost of $6.147 billion via subsidized electricity, clean-up and site-mediation costs, lost real-estate values and lost property-tax revenues.
Among the assumptions that led to the authors arriving at those numbers was a reference to international-student attendance at Thompson Rivers University.
Today, more than 2,000 international students attend TRU. The report states approval of Ajax will see those numbers drop.
“A mining town is not usually looked on as an attractive place to attend a university or college,” the authors write in the report. “It is suggested there would be at least a five percent decline as a desirable place to attend university or $ 17.2 annually and $342 million over the life of the mine.”
When asked who “suggested” there would be a five per cent decline, Blawatt said the figure was arrived at by discussions with various people — but not with Thompson Rivers University itself.
Sitting in on the press conference was Kamloops Coun. Nelly Dever, who asked if the authors had spoken to the university, Venture Kamloops, Kamloops Chamber of Commerce while compiling information for the report.
Blawatt said they had not.
When Dever asked why not, Blawatt replied: “They have no information that is worthwhile to us.”
It was a strange, strange statement to make considering the authors arrived at a specific percentage decrease in international students without speaking to the one institution — TRU — that would, presumably, have the most expertise on the subject.
Similarly, Venture Kamloops released a much-discussed report earlier this year that looked at the effect of industry on Kamloops under various scenarios, including what might happen if Ajax is approved.
It would seem to only make sense to at least consult with those groups to help make the report that much more substantial.
Another part of the report needs clarification — and, to his credit, Blawatt conceded the error. In discussing corporate governance, the report stated: “The Environmental Investment Organization rates KMGH as the ‘absolute worst’ polluter in Europe out of 300 companies cited in the report.”
That is not true.
The Environmental Investment Organization looked at the 300 largest companies in Europe and ranked them based on their publicly reported levels of greenhouse-gas emissions relative to their revenue. KGHM was not found to be the ‘absolute worst polluter’ in Europe; the company was placed at the bottom of the list because it did not publicly disclose its emissions levels.
However, as Blawatt repeated at the press conference, the information he and Karpiak were seeking was information to support their belief Ajax will be bad for Kamloops.
“We were looking for the kinds of adverse effects mining does present,” he said. “Our numbers are debatable. The information is based on estimates.”
Again, the report is not a prediction of what will occur, but a look at what may occur — and it is never a bad idea to give thought to the future.
Christopher Foulds is editor of Kamloops This Week. His email address is here. His blogs can be found here and here. Follow him on Twitter here.
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