After neighbouring residents brought questions and concern regarding a quarry permit at 200 Old Town Road, the District of Sicamous did some investigation with the province.
In a report to council at the June 25 meeting, chief administrative officer Dean Strachan said staff reached out to the Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals to discuss what the permit and its components are. There is a quarry permit in place; however, there is not a notice of work, he explained, adding that notice is what allows mining to begin.
The previous owner had had a notice of work in place, said Strachan, but that expired in 2023 when Twin Anchors Manufacturing bought the property.
The permit itself does include some provisions brought forward by council at that time, concerns about it impacting geotechnical and so forth, so there are some limitations within the current application. They include work being limited to below the 420-metre elevation, and work can only be done in a “previously disturbed” area. To go beyond that would trigger a need for further studies, geotechnical and archaeological.
Additionally, a five metre buffer would be required to be established on the perimeter of the property, retention of existing vegetation, and a berm installed on the downhill side of an internal access road for runoff and material retention.
The provincial permit authorizes mining until July 28, 2026, with only reclamation authorized after that, or a new application required.
Looking at the aerial, Coun. Ian Baillie asked if he'd read it correctly, noting the spot that can be mined is actually quite small.
"Compared to the rest of the parcel, yes, it’s not a significant portion of the property as a whole," answered Strachan. "But the permit is clear that it would allow for additional areas to be looked at, but those require the additional study work and additional permitting. So it’s only for that area under this particular permit.”
Council received the report for information.
