Castle Mountain Project must be approved.

As the president of the United Steelworkers Union Local 7884 who represents upwards of 1200 members at Teck Coal Fording River Operations, I believe the Castle Mountain project should be granted for the following reasons.

1) Coal mining has been the leading industry in this region for decades. Mining has provided numerous employment opportunities for thousands of Canadian workers over that period of time.

2) The mining jobs at Teck Coal are high paying and provide a lifetime of support to workers and their families, including substantial retirement benefits. 

3) In order for this industry to succeed and maintain the substantial benefits to workers and their families, the Castle Mountain project must be approved.

4) Teck Coal has demonstrated its commitment to cleaning up and maintaining safe waterways in our area. In fact, Teck has presently invested millions of dollars in water treatment plants with one being actively built on Fording River Operations Mine site. 

5) I therefore request that Teck's application for this project be granted for the sake of continued substantial employment opportunities in the East Kootenays. 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions as I would be more than happy to participate.                                                                           

Adam Connell

President, USW Local 7884

info@usw7884.com