Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 03/99) - City councillors want Miramar to talk to two schools about the route it is planning to use to haul ore from Giant to the Con mine mill.

The route does not go through residential areas but passes right in front of two schools on Taylor Road.

Responding to questions from Coun. Kevin O'Reilly, Miramar's Bob Hauser said the company had not consulted representatives of William MacDonald or Ecole Allain St. Cyr.

"I wasn't aware that trucking companies normally contacted all parties along the route," said Hauser.

Referring to a staff report which noted Miramar will "attempt to restrict trucking at the beginning and end of the school day," O'Reilly said, "I guess I look at it a little bit stronger."

Coun. Ben McDonald also asked that the schools be contacted. Dave McCann proposed the company consider the possibility of a night haul of ore to the processor.

Between them, the two schools have over 300 students.

William MacDonald principal Gordon Breen said that apart from obvious safety concerns, he's hoping consultation with Miramar will include consideration of the effects dust and noise from the truck traffic will have on the learning environment of the school.

If it buys Giant, and Hauser noted that has not happened yet, Miramar plans to haul 300 tonnes of ore -- 10-20 truckloads, depending on the size of the trucks -- from Giant to its Con mine mill each day.

Mayor Dave Lovell said the traffic will be insignificant.

"Twenty trucks a day -- I mean that isn't even going to be a blip if we did the stats on the use of that road," said the mayor.

Starting at Giant, the trucks would travel up the Ingraham Trail to Hwy 3, across to Old Airport Road to Taylor Road. On Taylor trucks would pass by the schools just before turning right onto a road Miramar is proposing to build to link Taylor to existing Con roads leading to the mill.

Miramar has asked the city for a two-year lease for a 90 metre by 30 metre piece of land to build the gated road linking Taylor Road to the mine road. The company estimates it will cost it $50,000 to build the road. Miramar is also putting up $50,000 security for reclamation of the road.

The company will be contracting out the trucking of ore, said Hauser.

Technically, if Miramar chose not to build the road, it could use a trucking route from Franklin Avenue through the residential area of Forest Drive to Con Mine Road.