Local resident, Jan Weaver is concerned about the Mine's impact on our children.
This letter to the editor was originally published in The Union. The version below has been updated slightly for accuracy and clarity.
Feb 1, 2023
I was driving down Bennett going towards the purposed Gold Rise Mine, passing the Durham Buses. Not sure if this has been raised as an issue, but these same buses, transporting our children, will be passing the mine daily. They will interact with trucks full of toxic materials.
It is estimated that up to 100 trucks will be traveling to and from the mine site. It’s probable that it will take longer for the buses to get to the intersection at Brunswick. This intersection has a flashing red light, making every motorist come to a complete stop.
Buses schedules are carefully planned out to ensure that the students arrive prior to the start of school. This could affect the school’s start time and bus schedules could need to be re-worked, making the school day longer.
This doesn’t take into account any issues with the mine trucks themselves. It is purported that some of the trucks will be carrying explosives, while others will carry rock mine waste with worrisome levels of asbestos and silica. Although the mine will be taking precautions to reduce our exposure, we know that some of the toxin dust will be allowed to escape into the air our children will be breathing.
We need to take the future of our children into account when deciding to open this mine.
Jan Weaver