Who is popular today?

The Highlands District Community Association has not given up its fight against the development of a rock quarry in the community.

The association, which vowed from the start to do “whatever it takes” to stop the creation of the quarry along Millstream Road, has filed an appeal of last month’s Supreme Court ruling that denied a judicial review of the province’s decision to approve a mining permit for the project.

Association chairman Scott Richardson said there is too much at stake for the community to stop fighting the proposed mine site.

“At this point, we have no choice but to exhaust all legal avenues to have this mine stopped,” he said. “By approving this mining permit, the province has usurped our municipality’s ability to define the kind of community it wants.”

The project is being developed by O.K. Industries, which bought the 64-acre property in 2015 for $4.2 million. The company initially applied to have it rezoned to accommodate commercial and light industrial activity from its green-belt designation.

When the District of Highlands rejected the proposal in 2016, O.K. applied to the province for a mines permit for a quarry. That permit was granted earlier this year, triggering the community association’s application for a judicial review, which the courts denied.

Mel Sangha, general manager for OK Industries, said he was surprised by the appeal. “I guess we will see what happens,” he said.

The company has already been to court with the District of Highlands to determine who has jurisdiction over permitting on the quarry site. A decision is expected in the next month or so.

Sangha said if Highlands is successful, it could have a ripple effect through B.C., as quarries, gravel pits and mines may be forced to get approval for everything from tree clearing to blasting from the local municipality rather than the province.

That could mean costly delays and new levels of red tape for industrial firms, said Sangha, who argues that the province should have jurisdiction over permitting on mine sites, since it has the relevant expertise.

For the time being, OK Industries has stopped all work on the site.

Sangha said the company had started to log the access road running east from Millstream Road after approval of the mines permit, but chose to stop work because it doesn’t want to be seen as an organization that isn’t trying to work with the community. “We are trying to do the right thing and trying to be transparent.”

Richardson said approval of the mining permit flies in the face of the world’s climate crisis, and would subject surrounding neighbours and wildlife to ongoing noise and dust created by drilling, blasting and large machinery. He said public and wildlife safety would be at risk from increased heavy truck traffic on Millstream Road over the next two decades.

The community association has joined forces with the Highlands Stewardship Foundation to raise $35,000 for the legal fight through a GoFundMe campaign.

A court date for the appeal has not yet been set.

aduffy@timescolonist.com