Share your story and help stop the Record Ridge mine - April 26 deadline

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let me get this straight...    is this a situation where the homeowners extorting us...   er... the part time residents who gentrified Rosssland, er.. the people owning all the empty properties,  air bnb and vrbo's are   upset about a mining town MINING???

because the locals are STOKED there will be income here again..

so i'll pass on this info so WE can tell the ministry THANK YOU

Thank-you 4low, I would not have been as eloquent and likely would have embarrased myself. 

Mining taking place in a mining town. How shocking.

Rossland is a minig town as much as Hope BC is a fur trade town.

I am sure some locals are stoked, wouldn't be so sure about income from the mine coming their way.  

4low I'm not sure why you think the locals are stoked. I'm a local and definitely NOT stoked

This is just my opinion but,a local is someone who's parents were born here and/or they were born here and  have or are old enough to have children and live here.

I consider myself a permanent resident of the West Kootenays as I have lived and hitchhiked in the area for 31years.

If you got here after high speed internet your a tourist.

Rossland will always be a mining town according to the locals I ask.

Lychwa, no offense but that is the most absurd definition of local ever put forward on here. Imagine telling people who have lived here for 15+ years paying taxes that they are a tourist? 

Get outta here.

Everyone born here sitting on their high horse telling everyone who wasn't born here but who lives here and contributes to this community that they are not a local needs to stuff it.

It's getting real old.

If this mine project goes forward I think it's pretty safe to say there will be a ton of in hindsight regret as we all stare at a destroyed mountain side that was once pristine, as we choke on dust from mining trucks for the rest of our lives.

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my post bikeskiswim I meant no offence. this is definitely not the first time my opinion has been called absurd. I think I was trying to make a point that this town was built long ago on the backs of the blue collar working class family,and that my extreme/ obsurd statements were made out of sadness at my observation of the gentrification of this lovely little bug free fresh air mountain community. I think that watering down the word "local" has consequences to the social conciousness. I can only imagine what it must have been like back in tthe day of steam engines and compressors squeal and screaming constantly. I have no dog in the fight of mine or no mine. what will be will be and that: just my opinion but, the only constant is change.

Be well and viva La Rossland 

I think being silent and enabling approval of this mine and its destruction of the environment around it would be something Rossland regrets for a very long time.  Local residents living near the mine site will of course bear the biggest brunt of dust and pollution but the City of Rossland could have reduced air quality due to the significant increase in heavy truck traffic, several per hour, barreling up and down the Cascade "highway".  Anyone who has driven that road behind another vehicle in dusty conditions would know how visibility is reduced and dust becomes airborne. The larger the vehicle, the greater the impact.  Now add in trucks carrying ore contaminated with impurities, asbestos, etc.  

I would no longer feel safe travelling that road by motor vehicle nor bike, knowing that any moment a massive truck could be sliding across washboard into my lane.  

WHY Resources would appear to be doing all they can to manipulate the process to avoid triggering an environmental assessment, while trying to greenwash and convince people this is somehow "good"for Rossland.  Are a few extra jobs really worth it?  It seems that most employers struggle already to recruit and retain good workers.

"Rossland will always be a mining town according to the locals" 

So we know the definition of a local, now what is the definition of a mining town?

Mining that made Rossland famous wrapped up in 1960s. Last mine in proximity of Rossland closed in 1971? (Molybdenum mine on Red Mountain, ironically when issues with tailing pod arised in 90s it was taxpayers who picked up the tab). Mining school closed in 1981. 

My most permissive definition of a mining town would be that there are people who ever worked in a mine near by and are not in their 60s, 70s. Heck, any alive person will do. And they do not have to be local. 

Anyway, even people who believe that mine woudl be good for the community, it woudl be in their interest for the mine to go through enviormental asessment. Something that the mine proponents are tryign to avoid in all possible ways. 

All of these stories are wonderfu...and beautiful, unlike cascade. I'm curious if anyone has taken this much time and effort to look over the side of the old dirt highway to see the amount of garbage and junk and rusted machinery there is. Not to mention to horrific clear cutting they've been doing up there! I personally think, if you are trying to "save" this area...you maybe should be driving out with a load of junk from the ditches every time you go up. 

Yes, sadly, like all roads, this road will have garbage, worth cleaning up.  But the mine itself would be further backcountry and would disturb areas of ecological significance, while the transport of materials would impact all of us.

"Rossland will always be a mining town according to the locals"

Regressive and ridiculous.

Using this backwards logic, Vancouver is a logging town, Quebec City is a fortress of war, and Toronto is a pork rendering town.

Let's just for a moment address what this town suffers from: BIGOTRY. Outsider this, newcomer that. So many people here are trying to prove they're local. WHO CARES. The idea of a "real" local is exclusionary, bigoted, and completely out of touch with a progressive and inclusive Canada.

If you live here, you're a local. If you spend any amount of time trying to decide who is a true Rosslander, or who does/doesn't belong here, you're a bigot.

Those cities I mentioned earlier - Vancouver, Quebec, and Toronto - have all progressed into intellectual economies that produce wealth without exploiting natural resources.

Those "tourists" I hear so many "Rosslanders" complain about - some of them bring their entire net worth here with them and make a go of it, only to realize there's a huge population of "locals" who resent them. Cool town, bro.

Good luck with the mine. It suits the place. Hey, you should bring back coal, too. 

"This is just my opinion but,a local is someone who's parents were born here and/or they were born here and  have or are old enough to have children and live here."

The fact that this is not being dissected and roasted for the disgusting, fraudulent white nativism it is goes to show how backwards your precious paradise is.

Jaw dropping, head shaking, podunk nonsense.

Who are you to decide who is local? You're nobody, and you're bad for this town.

Dorothy, there is huge ecological and environmental damage when vehicles, appliances and eletronics get thrown over the road and leach into the soil. It isnt just a unsightly burden, the hydrocarbons from the vehicles empty from their rusty tanks and soak the ground, eventually making it to OUR water. 

the mine will have a plan and treatment center not to mention environmental managers and have to adhere to STRICT rules and regulations. 

but sure, lets leave cars with antifreeze and fuel and fridges with freon so we can Drink those :-/

70 haul trucks a day through downtown Rossland from May to October.  Let that sink in.

Bentobox, BC regulations are actually nothing to be proud of, compared to NW Territories for example. BC Mining Act is pretty backward.

The number one concern regarding mine is that proponets are trying to bypass enviromental asessment, by classifying it as a quarry, by staying just under limits that woudl trigger asessment. There will be no asessment of their impact on the traffic the moment they hit public highway system etc. 

A quarry, a gravel pit, or a mine all need to be inspected by qualified mine inspectors and have an EPP (that's an environmental protection plan!) And reclamation plan.  Even some types of construction need EPPs and reclamation plan. further to this, environmental monitoring, quality assurance/engineers, environmental monitors, and field engineers, along with geologists and geotechnical need to be onsite monitoring everything.  
unfortunately, the side of the road doesn't and won't get this attention. The leaching of heavy metals into the soils and waterways (and way closer to the city than the mine, only 1km away) will continue because no one seems to care about them 

Maci - you're spot on, and check my comment. I called out this exact thing. The "I'm a local and you're not" conversation is just bullshit.

Bentobox - are you seriously comparing the side of the road to the pristine forest wilderness this mine will destroy? WTAF not even remotely the same thing. Like at all.

You obviously have no idea what hydrocarbons and Freon do as they saturate into the soils. I have counted more then 25 vehicles or frames and 56 appliances over the banks along the road. As the decomposition of metals continue, lead, arsenic and mercury will be saturating our soil and flowing into our drinking water. Yes, this is a Far more important topic. The deforestation that is already happening on the cascade will allow these heavy metals to flow freer into our water and into our mouth, and our children's mouth.

So because people have been logging and dumping garbage off the side of the road for sixty years we should have an open pit mine on a relatively unspoiled ridge accessed by that road? Seems logical

Bentobox

Nobody is saying that having garbage and junk littering the side of the road is a good thing. It just actually has nothing to do with the pros and cons of an open pit mine. It's a different conversation altogether. You are literally suggesting that an open pit mine destroying the mountain (far from the cascade highway) is ok because junk litters the cascade highway.

Give your head a shake. You're being an absolute idiot.

Bentobox, there are people like me who think that mine is more dangerous to our community and quality of our life and there is you and perhaps other people who think that danger from garbage dumped along the road is more urgent. We are putting our personal time, effort and money making sure that the mine proposal gets maximum scrutiny possible. What have you done otside of this thread to raise attention to the issue you care about? Have you contacted any government agencies, rallied people to do cleanup, raised it with the city hall? 

It is perfectly fine to focus on not wanting something new and scary and accepting the status quo. Like one of you said, people have been dumping along the cascade for over 60 years, who cares, only a few dogs and wildlife have died from the dumping....you can only see the garbage if you look. But a mine, eek! we still won't clean the garbage because, even though it's adding up, we still won't actually do anything about it...it's someone else's problem. 

good to know you are all keyboard warriors. 

> good to know you are all keyboard warriors. 

Once again, what have you done yourself to address garmabe along highway other than posting here, which I appreciate.

I've gone and picked up garbage along the old highway...it's too big for one person alone (hence bringing it to the attention here) since you all care about the environment SO much...but apparently not.

Thank you for doing it.

You are facing backlash because of the way you raising it. If you go back and re-read your posts you shoudl notice that they are comnbatant. You called me and others keyboard-warriors (as a software developer I take it as a complement), implied that we don't care about environment and patronized our knowledge.

It just happens so, that asking for a scrutiny of a mine application does not involve physical effort (other than documenting location of protected flora at risk or distributing posters). It is a significant effort though, that many people with background in enginering, mining and enviromental sciences are putting in.

Anyway, you put the issue of the garbage along highway on  the spotlight. Pretty obvious that one person is not going to clean it. Area is outside of the town jurisdiction, CBT grants seem to be focused on wetland restoration. If the mine happens, we could try to make WHY clean up the highway as they need to improve it. This would make a loss a bittersweet event.

Thank you Bentobox for doing that cleanup, every little bit helps.  And Jacek, I appreciate the way you've worded your comments (respectfully).

Why is there always some random sidebar in these conversations.  "If you don't want a mine, well then why aren't you cleaning up this garbage by the road."

What.

Marty, your observation is bang on. My observation over the years is that bentobox is the passive aggressive person formerly known by another bhubble user name which has been deleted...a person who has a passion for red herrings.

Hats off to the folks who are getting pertinent information out to the public who can decide if they would like their voices heard on this matter regardless of personal opinion.

Taking MEANINGFUL action in one's community is cool. 

Sorry extra, none of my accounts have ever been deleted or suspended. I guess you're spreading misinformation and full on lies. Just as an fyi, mine wasn't the only sidebar...there was also the "locals" sidebar. 

I welcome new career opportunities in Rossland even if its mining. You have no issue supporting a ski resort that has destroyed entire mountain ecosystems, yet somehow a mine is bad, and a ski resort is not. Ironic.

The comments here are very discouraging, and make me quite sad actually, this is not my idea of what our community is, can and should be. The way we are attacking eachother, its terrible. Remember if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it. We should be using this technology for so much more good than we are.

Sure I consider myself a local and I don't have to share all the details of how that is, I'm sure anyone that knows me would not argue this fact. But I don't really care, what matters to me is that we work together as a community with The best intentions and interests to benefit all citizens. I know it has become harder for people to afford to live here, my friends included, but we can not stop that part of it, we can only adapt. 

BUT the mining, we are still recovering from mining, still cleaning up, still trying to make areas safe. We don't need another mine in our town, an open pit mine to boot in one of the most beautiful areas of the Kootenays. This would destroy what we have worked so hard to recover from. Rossland's economy is based on tourism and recreation, that is a fact and a huge part of why I chose to stay and live here With my family.
I love Rossland and have done so since I was a kid. Do you think all these large dusty trucks coming through Rossland in large numbers will be good for any of us? The dust, the blasting, and all of the environmental impacts, etc etc. Do you think it is worth relying on government regulations to make sure this all done safely? I don't, it not worth the risk.  I get it, you think it will bring jobs, it is not a lot of jobs at all... I can't remember what they said at the town meeting but It was ridiculously low.  

And if you weren't there to hear or witness all the pointed questions and the responses and lack of,  and you have not researched your facts thouroghy, than please do not comment on here as if you know what you are talking about.  Do the digging!   WHY is Not offering the city of Rossland and it's citizens anything worth while AT ALL. LIKE NOTHING! 

I will just comment on Disposed items over the bank on cascade, that does need our attention also. Let's work together as a community to try and figure out how that can be done. Thanks for highlighting this issu  

Thanks for your time and I may not come back to this string as I can't stand the destructive criticisms.  

We all need to be more kind and respectfull to eachother.  And sign your real names to your comments if you want them to have real weight. 

cheers,
Kari Kuznecov

Kari I so very much appreciate you saying all that.    It is so important to have all the facts and not rely on assumptions that this corporation will somehow have Rossland's interest at heart (over their profits), and that government regulations (enforced by whom from what office?) could mitigate the damage.   Their marketing teams and PR teams will no doubt wish to convince us otherwise.  But time and time again we see in history that words and promises do not match actions, and the father removed the corporate control is from a community, the less they will care.

...should read "farther removed" (not father removed). ( Sorry, bad edit )

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong...I've heard that the mine will be employing 35-50 people from May to June.  I'm no expert in mining but I would guess that a good amount of these roles are specialized and require training and experience.   Most of which would not be found in Rossland.  I think this whole concept of economic boom from the mine is a lot of smoke and mirrors.

My understanding is only about 30 seasonal jobs.  Locals seeking employment (who have no guarantee of hire) would probably be much better served by year round employment from one of the many local employers.  And we would get an open pit mine within 3 km of a Girl Guides summer camp, within 200 m of the 7 summits trail (a major summer tourism draw), within 2 km of Paterson residents, and even closer to Sheep Creek residents.  

Add in a constant cloud of dust and noise drifting into Rossland from haul trucks carrying raw ore down the Cascade logging road (I cannot bring myself to call it a "highway"), and we could all expect more dust settling onto our homes, playgrounds, etc.  Quite potentially contaminated dust that blows off trucks and settles wherever the prevailing winds blow.  Should they come back with dust management plan that involves water, we already have annual water restrictions and drought conditions; we can't allow water to be wasted constantly watering the Cascade road and ore trucks.  

Further add in a company with no proven track record for environmental protection and community development, who is manipulating figures (the amount of extraction is a hair under) to avoid triggering the environmental assessment; that alone should raise major red flags of their lack of confidence in environmental impacts.  This company has no interest in bettering Rossland.  We are pawns in their profit games.  I'm sure it would please them to see a community divided (though individual bhubble comments cannot be considered reflective of the many community members who tend to stay silent on this forum for the very reasons as noted by some). Now is the time to come together as a community.

Thank you DorothyWD this is perfect info.

30 seasonal jobs.  Our restaurants hire more than that.  

Please we are giving away so much and getting very little in return for it.  And WHY, indeed.

30 SEASONAL jobs.  That's.  Pathetic.

Update: Public input is now being requested in case anyone has missed this:

https://engage.eao.gov.bc.ca/RecordRidge-PD

Poll Are you in favour of an open-pit mine on Record Ridge? Yes 83% No 17% .,,, ~LONESHEEP n,r PUBLISHING 5