I am writing to you as I am not sure how many residents of Oliver saw Pacific Silica Rock Quarry Ltd.’s application published for a licence to material sort, crush, stockpile and extract.

Not only is the timeline to express concerns very short but the timing of late summer during high vacation, tourist and harvest time appears to be set deliberately to rush the application through without proper community involvement and consultation.

As I understand and agree that we need to continue to find opportunities to grow and build jobs in the area, is this right answer?

My hope is that Oliverities will write to the

Section Head, Crown Land Adjudication Office,
441 Columbia St.,
Kamloops, BC.,
V2C 2T3

by the September 13, 2012 deadline expressing that the following needs to take place prior to a licence being issued:

A full and proper assessment of the environmental impacts of activation of the mine. Should this assessment prove out to be detrimental to the area then the application should be denied and the company be instructed to implement reclamation immediately.

A public hearing should be held in the very near future in the town of Oliver to allow all affected parties to raise their concerns and have them addressed.

A detailed, time specific reclamation plan should be provided that is not superficial nor dragged out for decades.  Included in this plan should be the consequences of not complying  A review as to whether the current zoning should be revised to Commercial/Residential or Agricultural in order to expand either fruit trees or grape vines as an  alternative to further mining.

A concerned resident,

Mary Builder
Shown above with the silica pit in the background