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More mine answers needed

Chris Hornby, in her letter to the editor, asks Taseko Mines Ltd. about its employment projections.

Editor:

I would like to ask Brian Battison more questions about his response to Pat Teti’s letters in the Tribune Aug. 21 and Aug. 30.

Has the Canadian Department of Finance and the Centre for Spatial Economics (C4SE) firm, in their forecasts, ever made a mistake on the number of jobs in their employment potential reports?

It is just a forecast and forecasts can be incorrect!

What is a macroeconomic approach? What really are the cumulative impacts?

We must study the cumulative impacts from both sides to arrive at our conclusions.

In your letter, you said it is a comprehensive estimate. So at this stage, it is just an estimate of the economics and fiscal impact.

How do we know that the contribution will be $11 billion? Is the $11 billion the fiscal forecast?

Is the report just an analysis of the increase in employment? What is a person year? Seventy-one thousand workers equals 57,000 person years. The additional amount suggests one person year of employment equals plus-five person years.

Positive impacts are greater than the number of employees. The annual difference in employment equals 3,000. Three thousand times 20 years equals 60,000. You estimated 57,000. Seventy-one thousand workers equals 57,000 person years. Is there a mistake in the math? Seventy-one thousands jobs, 60,000 employment difference, and 57,000 person years.

With the world economy the way it is today, plus a possible change politically, does the mine have a 20-year life expectancy? The public has so many unanswerable questions at this time.

 

Chris Hornby

Williams Lake