B.C. GREEN CAUCUS
For immediate release
December 14, 2017
B.C. Green Caucus respond to Ajax mine decision
VICTORIA, B.C. – Today the B.C. Green Caucus responded to the news that the B.C. Government decided not to issue an environmental assessment certificate to the KGHM Ajax Mining Project.
“We are happy that government is following the recommendation of the EAO on this project,” said Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley. “The consensus in the community was clear. City council has voted twice to oppose the mine. Given the magnitude of the adverse effects and the EAO’s recommendation not to issue a certificate, it would have been shocking for government to approve this project.”
“The EAO identified significant and cumulative adverse effects from this project, including on human health in the nearby communities, and on Indigenous heritage,” said Andrew Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head.
“First Nations and the local community have been very engaged throughout this process, bringing many of the concerns to light. This was the only sound decision that government could have made based on the evidence provided,” said Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North & the Islands.
-30-
Media contact
Sarah Miller, Acting Press Secretary
+1 778-650-0597 | sarah.miller@leg.bc.ca
Photo credit: “People against Ajax mine making their mark” by Sylvia Currie is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
I wonder if the Green caucus noticed what George Heyman had to say —
“The decision [to reject the mine] should not be taken as evidence that Indigenous groups have veto power over development in B.C.” http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/environmental-assessment-sinks-proposed-ajax-mine-near-kamloops-1.4449434
I believe Heyman has tipped the government’s hand: the NDP will neither support nor implement the ‘free, prior, and informed consent’ (FPIC) condition of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It shouldn’t come as a surprise — the feds have also begun to dance around this subject.
FPIC is everything when it comes to Indigenous self-determination and reconciliation. Are the Greens going to let the NDP dilute FPIC to the point where ‘no’ is not an allowable answer?
Hello Dianne. Thank you so much for your comment. From my understanding this decision was a recommendation by the statutory decision-makers in the Environmental Assessment Office. I am paying very close attention to the commitments enshrined in every Cabinet Ministers mandate letter to implement the UNDRIP, TRC calls-to-action and SCC decisions. This will be a priority for me in 2018. All the best in the new year!