Redacted Letter from the BC Centre for Disease Control

Posted by Stop Ajax Mine on June 26th, 2013 9:30pm

The following press release was sent to the local media regarding the release of a redacted letter from the BC Centre for Disease Control regarding the proposed Ajax copper-gold mine. A copy of the letter is included at the end of the press release.

 

Kamloops Area Preservation Association

- News Release –

June 25, 2013

The Kamloops Area Preservation Association (KAPA) will be unveiling a letter dated May 25, 2012 from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) regarding the proposed Ajax copper-gold mine on Wednesday, 7:30 PM at the Kamloops United Church, 421 St. Paul Street.  This letter was obtained under the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act from the Interior Health Authority.

"The copy of the letter KAPA received represents what is wrong with the Ajax assessment, namely, the lack of openness and transparency that is characteristic of the Ajax assessment.  I believe that when people see the letter they will be shocked at how government agencies responsible for the protection of our health are not disclosing vital information about the Ajax project," according to KAPA spokesperson, John Schleiermacher.

According to minutes of the government agencies Health Sub-Working Group meeting held May 10, 2012 (available at http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/), Interior Health made a request to the BCCDC to provide comment on noise and air dispersion modeling plans for the proposed Ajax mine. The May 25, 2012 BCCDC letter provides comments on these plans.  However, a review of the government agency tracking table for the Ajax assessment, released May 22, 2013 on the BC EAO website (http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/), shows no reference to the BCCDC letter.

"What happened to the comments made by Dr. Catherine Elliott, a Physician Epidemiologist, about the proposed noise and dust dispersion modeling studies?  Did Interior Health incorporate these comments in their comments to the environmental assessment agencies, or were Dr. Elliott’s comments ignored?  If these comments were incorporated in Interior Health comments, where are these comments reflected in the six documents that make up the terms of reference of the Ajax mine impact studies?" Schleiermacher asks.

According to Section 8.3 of the Section 11 Order that established the Ajax environmental assessment (available at http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/), KGHM must incorporate government agency comments that the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) determines is within the scope of the assessment into what KGHM must study.  "This raises the questions" Schleiermacher continues, "Did the EAO determine that the comments made by Dr. Elliott were not issues that KGHM has to address, and if so, why?"

For further information, please contact John Schleiermacher, 250-374-7431.

To read the redacted letter click here.

Comments

There are currently no comments on this blog post.

Post a Comment