01/05/2025, 1:13 μ.μ.
Happening tonight! Town Meeting - come along tonight at 7pm (Conference Room, Hope Rec Centre) to hear updates and information on what you can do next to help. Organized by other community members, the Stop the Hope Cemetery Pit Expansion group is happy to support this event. Please read the newsletter to learn more.
28/02/2025, 7:57 μ.μ.
We write with an important update of a new development, and details of an urgent letter which you may decide to write. Please see the attached newsletter for full details and letter template (including a link to a version in Microsoft Word). Due to the imminent March 3rd deadline, we urge those wishing to add support to this new proposal to do so this weekend.
Compared to the Cemetery Pit expansion, we feel that—for many people—this new proposal could potentially offer a more acceptable sand & gravel solution. If you agree, please follow the steps in the newsletter to extend your support.
Thank you for your continued engagement.
Stop The Hope Cemetery Pit Expansion
23/02/2025, 4:21 μ.μ.
Changed the petition end date to bring it into line with the end date for First Nations consultation.
Increased the collection target to the current number, as the website will not allow edits to the end date unless the collection target is equal to or greater than the current number of signatures.
New deadline: 03.03.2025
Signatures at the time of the change: 816
18/02/2025, 6:58 μ.μ.
As the time for public comment on the Hope Cemetery Pit Expansion proposal is soon drawing to a close, there are some very important things we can all do!
1. Write a letter to voice your concerns to the Ministry of Mining before Monday 3 March. Learn more about the mine expansion proposal in our attached newsletter where you’ll find helpful information explaining the proposal and why we think this expansion would be bad news for Hope. Feel free to copy and paste content into your email!
2. Join us at the upcoming town hall meeting at Hope Recreation Centre on Friday 21 February, 1pm.
3. Encourage more people to sign the petition, including all individuals in your household.
Thank you for your commitment and support.
Stop the Hope Cemetery Pit Expansion!
Follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572623586237
14/02/2025, 12:46 μ.μ.
Wording amended to reflect information provided by the applicant in the expansion proposal, including figures provided in the Traffic Management Plan, referring to 3300 maximum permissible loads.
Additional small edits made to keep within word limit.
Increased the collection target due to the increased public interest in the campaign.
Neue Begründung:
1. Part of the land for the proposed expansion is currently zoned as Country Residential, which does not allow mining/a gravel pit. If granted, we estimate there would be 1 gravel truck every 5 minutes, 7am-7pm Mon-FridayMon-Fri for the next 50 years, passing within a few metres of many Hope residents' homes. The application also details that work will be carried out on Saturdays "as needed". Additionally, if the application is approved, it means re-zoning critical residential land during a housing crisis when we need more homes, not a gravel pit expansion.crisis.
2. The current proposal would allow all gravel trucks to travel along Kawkaka Lake Rd towards town. 1 gravel truck every 5 minutes between 7am-7pm, Monday to Friday for 50 years is a conservative estimate; the applicant has exceeded the permit allowance every year for the last 4 years. In 2022, for example, the owner took over 35,223 loads out of the pit, when the permit was for 3300 loads. 35,223 loads means more than 10 times over allowance, which is 70,446 gravel truck journeys in 2022 (since the trucks have to travel to, and then from the mine). Kawkawa Lake Rd goes through residential areas, and the trucks would be travelling past the lake and vacation spots like the Coquihalla Campground. For residents in these areas, the effect of that much heavy traffic is noisy, disruptive, and incredibly dusty. TheIn trucksthe alsopast, residents have a history of not securing their loads properly, leading toreported basketball-sized rocks falling out of the trucks and onto the road, presenting a danger to road users.
The wording of the applicant’s Traffic Management Plan (TMP) states that “limited annual trips of approximately 3,300 will be allowable on Kettle Valley Road until the Othello entrance/exit is opened. This traffic count is estimated based on current approved maximum production volumes as stipulated in the current Mines Act Permit.” The factTMP also states that there has been a “decrease in trip activity…since our peak in 2022. This downward trend is predominantly the result of the completion of flood repairs associated with rainfall in 2021.” This statement would seem to suggest that the pit owner consistently takes so many more12,276 loads fromremoved in 2023, were not attributable to any permitted increase in activity (above the pit3,300 thanloads described) relating to the permitflood allowsrepairs. showsWe thereare istherefore noconcerned about the lack of information regarding oversight orfor accountability.ensuring compliance with the maximum load numbers/tonnage extraction.
3. The land proposed for the expansion was documented by the government as proposed Critical Habitat for Spotted Owl (a protected species) and Conservation Area for Mountain Beaver. This would mean it couldn't be logged or mined. The environmental report commissioned for the application found that this land had been extensively clear cut within the last 10 years. The report therefore concludes that the land is now suitable for mining, since it is no longer suitable for the protected species. There are no questions being asked with regard to how this Critical Habitat came to be clearcut when it was protected.
4. There is ana potential alternative route for an access road to the mine that could be built by the applicant, which would mean that trucks would enter and exit the road not far from Highway 5. This would mean that no trucks have to travel along Kawkawa Lake Rd, and it would cut all residential areas from the equation. The owner knows about this route, it has been informally approved by the Ministry of Transport, but it is seemingly more costly for the applicant and it has not beenmentioned mentionedthis in his application. If the mine expansion is approved (which we oppose), we are asking that Hope Ready Mix trucks be mandated to use this route. The route actually proposed in the application goes closely past a number of residents' driveways, and then through residential areas towards town. This proposed route does not meet road safety guidelines for "sightlines" and so poses a danger to road users. There is also the considerable wear on our roads, which taxpayers would be paying for.Also, Hope District and councillors noted the heavy wear on roads from gravel trucks visiting the existing pit, and the burden of additional, frequent ditch-cleaning (at Hope taxpayer expense) to deal with silt from the mine being deposited in the surrounding area.
5. Tourism is the number 1 industry in Hope, and it focuses on the natural beauty we have here.have. When approaching Hope from Highway 1 coming from the west, the first sign of Hope is the gravel pit. The permit application more than triples the size of the pit and it would look even worse than it does now. It is already visible from most parts of Hope, and from afar. Aside from decimating the natural beauty of our area, the gravel pit is incredibly destructive to our natural environment and leads to:-excess dust which reduces air quality and impacts our health,-industrial noise from mine operations impacts our health, such as the noise from the pit experienced for months in 2024, which contravened Hope's Good Neighbour Bylaw-the application would necessitate a logging licence to remove yet more trees from our environment-potential damage to homes from blasting, such as that documented by a home-owner living close to the Pit.
The gravel pit expansion provides very little benefit for Hope residents, but clearly many, serious disadvantages, and does not align with the Hope Official Community Plan.
6. Despite anecdotal evidence that mining permit approvals are almost impossible to stop, there are numerous examples of the concerns of residents prevailing, including a nearby gravel pit application in the Agassiz/Harrison area that was subsequently turned down by the Ministry on the basis of the same points raised above.
12/02/2025, 8:21 μ.μ.
Thank you for supporting the petition to stop the Hope Cemetery Pit expansion! We’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support—at the time of writing, we have collected over 650 signatures. By signing, you are helping our efforts to prevent the expansion of this noisy, polluting and potentially hazardous eyesore, which has a history of non-compliance with regulations.
We are writing to share news of an upcoming "town hall" meeting, taking place at:
Hope Recreation Centre on Friday 21 February, starting at 1p.m.
Please see the attached flyer for more details.
All are welcome and it would be amazing for the cause if as many people as possible attend to voice their concerns.
We will be in touch again soon with more information about other steps you can take to help, particularly if you are unable to attend the meeting.
Thank you for your commitment and support.
Stop the Hope Cemetery Pit Expansion!
Follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572623586237
08/02/2025, 6:22 μ.μ.
Increased the collection target due to increasing support/interest.
New deadline: 07.03.2025
Signatures at the time of the change: 576
06/02/2025, 7:42 μ.μ.
Increased the collection target due to the scale of support.
New deadline: 06.03.2025
Signatures at the time of the change: 489
03/02/2025, 4:14 μ.μ.
End date changed to align with current known info on final date for comments
More info added to tell people what they can do to support the campaign
Facebook page link added
Collection target amended
Added information about industrial noise, work on Saturdays, and rezoning of residential land during a housing crisis
Added information about donations to Open Petition.
Increased the collection target to 500.
Amended a typo under Reason section.
Added information relating to ownership of Hope Ready Mix
Added further information related to signing the petition.
New petition description:
We are aiming to influence provincial decision-makers to turn down the application by Hope Ready Mix (a Chiliwack-based company) for an expansion of the Cemetery Gravel Pit. The expansion more than triples the current size of the pit, poses a health and safety risk to residents and road users, and destroys the natural beauty of Hope, a place where tourism is our number 1 industry.
Please sign our petition.petition, and also any member in your household can sign individually. Important:
1. Your home address will NOT be displayed publicly but is required2. Your email address will NOT be passed to third parties3. Once you have signed the petition, you will receive an email requiring you to click and confirm your signature4. IMPORTANT NOTE - a donation section will appear after you have signed, and at the bottom of the webpage, but please feel free to disregard this, as it is unrelated to our petition and donations do not come back to the cemetery pit cause. Any donations go to the petition hosting organization, Open Petition, which supplies free hosting of petitions and support to petition-makers.
Supporters can help by voicing their opposition (and please feel free to use any information outlined in this petition) to this permit application, to the Ministry of Mining & Critical Minerals (cc. Hope Ready Mix, Hope Council, and the MLA).
The permit application paperwork can be downloaded hereFollow our Facebook page hereEmail addresses:
Ministry of Mining:SouthwestMinesDivision@gov.bc.caAmy.Davey@gov.bc.ca
Hope Ready Mix: customercare@hopereadymix.ca
Hope Councillors:smedlock@hope.cadsmith@hope.cahstewin@hope.cavsmith@hope.caaskoglund@hope.cazwells@hope.cadsmith@hope.capnewbigging@hope.ca
The Ministry of Mining & Critical Minerals has decision-making responsibility over this issue, and Hope Council does not have any direct authority. However, we are asking supporters to keep Hope Council informed about their concerns. We know that the success of campaigns to stop gravel pit applications elsewhere in BC was helped by local councils supporting residents and representing their concerns to higher levels of government. We are asking Hope's Mayor and Councillors to support this petition and proactively amplify the concerns of Hope residents as outlined below, to those responsible for the decisions.
MLA: Tony.Luck.MLA@leg.bc.ca
03/02/2025, 3:58 μ.μ.
Selected to add address to collection sheet
New deadline: 04.03.2025
Signatures at the time of the change: 98
