Public Notice
Ajax Mine Project — Public Comment Period and Information Sessions

KGHM Ajax Mining Inc. is proposing the construction and operation of the Ajax Mine Project (the Project), a copper-gold mine located near the city of Kamloops, British Columbia (B.C.). The Project has an expected mine life of up to 23 years with a production capacity of approximately 60,000 tonnes of mineral ore per day.

The Ajax Mine Project is subject to review under both the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and B.C.'s Environmental Assessment Act and is undergoing a cooperative environmental assessment.

Public Comment Period

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) and B.C.'s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) are inviting the public to comment on revisions to the environmental assessment information requirements that result from changes to the mine plan for the Ajax Mine Project.

The Agency and the EAO have recently revised the Application Information Requirements / Environmental Impact Statement Guidelines (AIR / EIS Guidelines) to reflect the proponent's changes to the layout and design of the project. The AIR / EIS Guidelines provide direction regarding the studies, methods and information the proponent is required to include in the preparation of its Application / EIS document. The proponent's Application / EIS will describe the new project design and layout, and provide the assessment results for the potential environmental, heritage, health, social, and economic effects of all phases of the project.

The revised AIR / EIS Guidelines document is available online on the EAO's website at www.eao.gov.bc.ca. The revised AIR / EIS Guidelines and a summary of the document will be available on the Agency's website as of November 18, 2014. Additional information regarding the environmental assessment process for the Project is available on either website.

The public comment period is from November 18 to December 18, 2014. The Agency and the EAO accept public comments during that time submitted by any of the following means:

By Online Form: www.eao.gov.bc.ca

By Email: Ajax@ceaa-acee.gc.ca

By Fax: 250-387-2208

By mail:

Scott Bailey, Executive Project Director
Environmental Assessment Office
PO Box 9426 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, British Columbia V8W 9V1

OR

Kevin Inouye, Project Manager
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
410-701 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V7Y 1C6

The Agency accepts comments in English or in French. Any comments filed need only be submitted once to either the Agency or the EAO, to be considered for both the provincial and federal environmental assessments.

Copies of the summary of the revised AIR / EIS Guidelines and the complete version of the revised AIR / EIS Guidelines are available for viewing at these locations:

  • Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
    Vancouver, British Columbia
    Viewing by appointment only
    Telephone: 604-666-2431
     
  • Kamloops Library
    100–465 Victoria Street
    Kamloops, British Columbia
     
  • North Kamloops Library
    693 Tranquille Road
    Kamloops, British Columbia
     
  • City of Kamloops Offices
    7 Victoria Street West
    Kamloops, British Columbia

Information Sessions

Information sessions will be held during the comment period:

Kamloops, British Columbia
November 25 and 26, 2014
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Kamloops Coast Hotel and Conference Centre
1250 Rogers Way

Information on the Ajax Mine Project and the revised AIR / EIS Guidelines will be available for viewing, and interested individuals will be able to speak with various provincial and federal environmental assessment representatives and the proponent's technical experts. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about the steps of the cooperative environmental assessment process.

Next Steps

The comments received during the comment period on the revised AIR / EIS Guidelines will be considered in the ongoing provincial and federal environmental assessments of the Ajax Mine Project, and will also be considered in finalizing the revised AIR / EIS Guidelines document.

Once finalized, the AIR / EIS Guidelines will be provided to the proponent to support the submission of its Application / Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). A public comment period on the proponent's Application / EIS will be announced at a later date.

All submissions received by the Agency and the EAO during the comment period in relation to the Ajax Mine Project are considered public. They will be posted to the EAO website and will become part of the Agency project file.

Document Reference Number: 23

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