I am grateful for the generous welcome by Kamloops residents during my visit to the city on March 18 and 19.

As the leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, I arrived to what I knew would be two full days of public dialogue on issues that matter to the residents of Kamloops.

My schedule included site visits to Telus’ Kamloops Data Centre and the Kamloops Innovation Centre.

I came away from my visit with a greater appreciation for emerging issues in Kamloops and the enormous potential that is evident in the city

I also had the opportunity to learn about the proposed Ajax mine project.

As I knew the project was a controversial subject within the city, I came with an open mind and a desire to better understand both the positive and negative implications of the project.

I took time to meet with representatives of KGHM and toured the proposed site with them.

I also had the opportunity to tour the area with citizens who are concerned about the potential detrimental impacts of an open-pit mine so close to the city.

As a scientist, I found the information presented to the public by SLR Consulting very interesting and was impressed by its report.

It’s obvious to me KGHM will need to do a fair bit of additional work to address these concerns.

It was also heartening to see the level of community attendance at the public session and the high level of engagement coming from city council.

I was also fortunate enough to attend a local dinner and it was a pleasure to meet with local Green party members and supporters.

I was floored by the crowd that attended the dinner and by those who had excellent questions for me and brought up issues I’d never considered.

It was a well-organized event led by a local group and hosted by Dan Hines and Donovan Cavers.

Together we discussed a shared vision for the future of our wonderful province and looked ahead to the exciting potential our party represents heading into the 2017 election next spring.

I’m greatly looking forward to a return visit to the Tournament Capital city.

Andrew Weaver
Leader, B.C. Green Party