Kamloops - UNDRIP Against Ajax Mine

Kamloops - UNDRIP Against Ajax Mine

Postby Oscar » Mon Apr 03, 2017 8:28 am

Kamloops chapter signs Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc Nation 'Declaration of Support' against Ajax mine

[ http://canadians.org/blog/kamloops-chap ... s.facebook ]

April 1, 2017 - 5:38 pm

(PHOTO: Skeetchestn Indian Band Acting Chief Terry Deneault and Tk’emlúps Indian Band Chief Fred Seymour at signing ceremony.)

The Council of Canadians Kamloops chapter joined with 30 organizations today to sign a 'Declaration of Support' in solidarity with the Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc Nation’s (SSN) decision to withhold its free, prior and informed consent for the proposed Ajax copper-gold mine at Pípsell (Jacko Lake and area).

The SSN represents the communities of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and the Skeetchestn Indian Band. The announcement was made at an Allies Meeting and Solidarity Ceremony at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.

Among the other organizations signing the Declaration of Support -- Union of BC Indians Chiefs, Shuswap Nation Tribal Council, First Nations Women Advocating for Responsible Mining, Indigenous Environment Network, West Coast Environmental Law, David Suzuki Foundation, Sierra Club BC, MiningWatch Canada, Wilderness Committee, Rivers without Borders, and The Council of Canadians.

The SSN notes, "The Ajax Mine Project in its proposed location at Pípsell is in opposition to the SSN land use objective for this profoundly sacred, culturally important, and historically significant keystone site, which significance is fundamental and undiminished. If approved, the mine would destroy part of Jacko Lake and irreversibly affect Pípsell."

The Council of Canadians supports the full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which includes Article 19, the right to free, prior and informed consent.

The mine was first proposed in late 2011 and the Kamloops chapter has been campaigning against it since early 2012. The provincial government's assessment of the mine was suspended in May 2016. The SSN conducted its own independent assessment in accordance with its laws, traditions, customs and governance system. That assessment led to their decision to reject the mine.

To watch a 7-minute video about today's ceremony, please click here:

[ https://vimeo.com/210983969 ]

Further reading

Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation rejects Ajax Mine in Kamloops (March 9, 2017)

[ http://canadians.org/blog/stk%E2%80%99e ... e-kamloops ]

Tags: chapters
[ http://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
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Re: Kamloops - UNDRIP Against Ajax Mine

Postby Oscar » Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:45 pm

Turning down Ajax Mine proposal the right thing to do

[ https://www.wildernesscommittee.org/pre ... et_the_axe ]

For Immediate Release - December 14. 2017

VANCOUVER, B.C. - This afternoon Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy George Heyman and Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Michelle Mungall announced that they will not issue an environmental assessment certificate to KGHM Ajax Mining for the proposed Ajax open-pit gold and copper mine project.

“It feels like Christmas has come early for folks around Kamloops, what great news to hear before the year end!” says Wilderness Committee National Campaign Director Joe Foy. “The Stk'emlupsemc te Secwépemc Nation (SSN), city of Kamloops and many other groups and organizations opposed this destructive mine proposal. We are very happy that the B.C. government has stepped up to put an end to it.”

The federal government has yet to render its decision on the Ajax mine proposal - but with the announcement today it appears that the mine project is dead.

The mine project would have seen the excavation of a huge open-pit only a few kilometres from the outskirts of Kamloops, threatening homes, schools and places of work with adverse and cumulative environmental effects. The mine site would have been near Jacko Lake, in an area of high spiritual, cultural and ecological significance to the SSN.

The Wilderness Committee is calling on the B.C. government to start a discussion with the SSN to determine the best way to gain permanent protection for the Jacko Lake area.

“Today we celebrate the right decision,” said Foy. “Tomorrow we must take steps to ensure our kids and grandkids don’t have to fight the same fight all over again. Permanent protection for Jacko Lake and surrounding area – in a way that conserves the values of the SSN – is the only way forward.” - 30 -

For more information, please contact:

Joe Foy | National Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee
604-880-2580, joe@wildernesscommittee.org
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