Thanks Belize Bob19 Apr 2021 13:25
The municipal council demands compensation for Jokkmokk The
municipal councilor Robert Bernhardsson (S) demands that the government compensate Jokkmokk for the long wait for information about the mining in Kallak.
Jokkmokk 19 April 2021 06:00
- I think the government should relocate or create a new authority that is responsible for nature conservation to Jokkmokk. It should be possible to do that now that it has taken so long to decide the issue of mining in Kallak, says Bernhardsson.
Jokkmokk is deeply divided over the issue of mining in Kallak. The Social Democrats are in favor of mining, while one of the largest opposition parties, the Green Party, is against. In 2018, the Green Party made one of its best choices in any Swedish municipality in Jokkmokk.
Robert Bernhardsson emphasizes that Jokkmokk is an important municipality for the whole of Sweden.
- We have the most renewable energy in Sweden in the form of hydropower. I think it would be obvious that we can also mine our minerals. I have a hard time seeing how a mining operation would be a threat to the world heritage, he says.
Robert Bernhardsson emphasizes that if Jokkmokk had got the mining jobs, the economic situation in the municipality would have looked completely different.
- We are now forced to make major cuts in welfare. We must cut costs in the budget by ten percent. That is between SEK 28 and 30 million. It affects care, schools and much more. Maybe we will be forced to close and move schools and classes. This would not have happened if we had started mining in Kallak, he says.
What do you say then about those who believe that a mine threatens reindeer husbandry?
- We contribute a lot with our protected nature areas. Of course there is room for both mining and reindeer husbandry in Jokkmokk municipality.
Henrik Blind, the Green Party's group leader in Jokkmokk, does not agree.
- It's a simple answer. The ore will be taken from a place that has been the core area for reindeer husbandry for hundreds of years. You can not ruin it for a short-term mining for maybe 20 years, he says.
Henrik Blind emphasizes that one should not break up one industry to create another industry.
- Reindeer husbandry contributes a lot to Jokkmokk. You should invest in what is unique to Jokkmokk. It also provides many jobs, not only in the reindeer husbandry itself, but also all the side effects, says Henrik Blind.
What do you say about the information that the government is divided on this issue?
- Yes, I can understand that. From the local level up to the top management, the Green Party has taken a stand against a mine in Kallak. So it will be difficult for the Green Party to approve it in the government, says Henrik Blind.
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