http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/
The recent KGHM Ajax survey (‘Yes, that phone poll was from KGHM Ajax,’ July 11) appears to be aimed at trolling the public for ideas on how the company can convince Kamloops residents its proposed open-pit copper and gold mine could be environmentally friendly.
At least, that’s the impression when the company’s pollsters terminate the survey if respondents don’t agree that mining is an “essential part of the Kamloops economy” and only bother interviewing potential allies.
In fact, KGHM Ajax admits the survey wasn’t designed to find any statistical information or quantitative results. It’s just casting a wide net in the hopes of getting “an overall perspective and understanding of the [mining-friendly] residents’ opinion towards mining.”
The in-house team at KGHM Ajax doesn’t seem to be doing a credible job of informing or persuading a decent majority of the public that the mine’s a good idea — and good PR firms are expensive.
So, while we’re all forced to wait patiently and asked to withhold judgment until KGHM Ajax releases its meters-high stack of information and intentions this fall, the company keeps throwing money at community organizations and conducting surveys of the converted.
Expect another such survey to follow soon.
After so many local doctors recently came out likening Kamloops’ air quality to low-level smoking if the mine goes ahead, KGHM Ajax must be scrambling to figure out how to convince people the proposed operation won’t be a health hazard to everyone in the community.
Maybe they could pinpoint their allies with a first question like, “Is it OK for kids to smoke a couple of cigarettes a day?” — then let the ideas flow.
For the original version of this opinion piece, click here: http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/opinion/letters/215693161.html