Kamloops councillor proposes a no-mining buffer around B.C. communities

Kamloops city councillor Dieter Dudy wants to see mines in B.C. restricted to at least 10 kilometres from any city.

He will present a motion to city council Tuesday proposing to take the plan to the Southern Interior Local Government Association and the Union of B.C. Municipalities.

• Kamloops city council officially opposes proposed Ajax mine

If council supports his motion, it could start the process toward asking the provincial government to create the buffer.

Dudy came up with the idea after seeing how a proposed KGHM Ajax mine polarized Kamloops.

"Most people weren't necessarily against mining, what they were concerned about what the proximity to Kamloops," said Dudy.

For more than six years, KGHM Ajax tried to get approval for a mine near the Kamloops neighbourhood of Aberdeen. In December of 2017, the province decided not to issue an environmental assessment of the project in part because of  is proximity to the city.

Kamloops city council previously voted to oppose the Ajax projects.

'We're not anti-mining'

Dudy says he thinks if the mine had been further away, residents would have been less concerned about issues like air quality.

"Why not have a buffer in place that says we're not anti-mining," he said.

"We want to carry on with this kind of industry because we have so many things that are dependant upon it, however let's do it in a way that we're not impacting the community in a negative way."

Ugo Lapointe with MiningWatch Canada supports the idea of buffers, but would like the motion to go even further.

"It's also a good idea for municipalities to have the power to designate no-go zones: no-go mining zones near socially, ecologically or culturally sensitive areas," he said.

Right now, the provincial Mines Act dictates where mines can be located. 

With files from Jennifer Chrumka

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