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Runkle, Quinn

The Green Party of British Columbia (GPBC) uses its “Ten Green Principles” as a filter to determine its support or opposition to any given policy or project proposal. This report utilizes the Ten Principles to determine the GPBC stance on the proposed KGHM Ajax Mine (KAM) project in Kamloops, BC. KGHM International Ltd. operates in Canada, the USA, and Mexico and is pursuing a 25 square-kilometre gold-copper mine in Kamloops, a city of 87,000 in BC’s South-Central Interior. This report recommends that the GPBC oppose the KAM proposal because it meets only two of the Ten Principles. Given that a New Democratic Party majority government is likely after the upcoming BC Provincial Election, the GPBC should consider possible political concessions to pursue if the NDP were to support the KAM project. The NDP has yet to state its formal position. These concessions include the following: firstly, a greater percent of profits should be shared locally; secondly, local residents should receive sufficient job training so as to be able to gain employment offered by the mine; and thirdly, further research must be conducted into the possible human health and environmental impacts of the mine. More importantly, the GPBC Kamloops-North Thompson candidate (who, as of submission, is yet to be determined) should use his/her political leverage to assist local community members in opposing the mine. The GPBC should pursue investments in sustainable development projects as an economic alternative to such projects.

Text

University of British Columbia. GEOG 419

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0103553

Arts, Faculty of; Geography, Department of

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/