A final decision on the proposed Ajax mine is in provincial hands, but Kamloops residents and City council can still sway the politicians' decision, a former mayor and newspaper editor said Sunday.
Mel Rothenburger told a packed house at the Thompson Rivers University's Alumni Theatre that strong public opposition ended a plan to build a cogeneration plant in Kamloops.
"I think that if people make it very, very clear that this is not for Kamloops, that is going to be listened to by our politicians," Rothenburger said.
Which is why he's surprised City council is afraid to take a stand on the proposed mine - which prompted the more than 200 people in the audience to erupt in applause.
Rothenburger's cogeneration comparison came at the end of his 45-minute lecture titled Imagine A Town With No Mine. An audience member asked him how people could stop the project from going through when a final decision is in the province's hands.
At the start, he pointed out the TRU Faculty Association Human Rights Committee didn't invite him to speak about Ajax specifically but, given that Ajax has so divided the city, he thought he'd discuss his view of how the project fits within the community.
He admitted early he isn't an expert on mines, geology or engineering, but he is a longtime resident with an investment in the community.
Rothenburger doesn't doubt that Ajax would provide several well-paying jobs and economic offshoots. Nor does he believe the conspiracy theorists who say Ajax will destroy the environment and drive people from town.
But Rothenburger asked the audience to consider if Ajax fits with the active and healthy way of life residents have worked hard to create, including its image as the Tournament Capital of Canada.
When Domtar, then Weyerhaeuser, came to Kamloops, things changed.
"Overall, it has been good for the economy of Kamloops. Would we put it in the same place if we had to do it all over again, so close to town?" he asked.
If Ajax goes ahead, Rothenburger doubts the mine would be the major employer some say it will. He showed a slide from the Venture Kamloops website that put the project somewhere at the bottom end of 10 or so employers. Interior Health, the Kamloops-Thompson School District and TRU provide more jobs.
Rothenburger doesn't believe Ajax fits within his vision of Kamloops, and he challenged those who support the mine and those who oppose it to meet on neutral territory and debate the project.
"We can debate the economic benefits and the environmental impact. But let's talk about Kamloops' lifestyle and quality of life and why we love this place so much," he said.
Ajax spokesman Robert Koopmans attended the lecture and believed it was a passionate expression of Rothenburger's vision of Kamloops.
But Koopmans believes there's a place for Ajax within the Tournament Capital.
"I think that it is very possible for the mine to coincide with a very healthy, vibrant, special Kamloops," he said.
As for a debate, Koopmans said such a thing could happen, but after all 40 environmental, health, socio-economic and other impact studies are complete.
"Let's wait until all those studies are complete so that we have something to talk about. All we have to talk about right now is opinion," he said.
