Tours of Pan Pacific Aggregates' mine sites above Porpoise Bay on July 22 received mixed reviews.
Representatives from residents' associations say their concerns are still active.
Ken Matheson, president of the West Porpoise Bay Community Association, requested information on the site's minerals but says he has not yet heard anything back.
"This is information you can pull off the 'Net, so why aren't they able to give us this information tomorrow," Matheson said.
He says the berm doesn't reduce crusher noise. He has received many noise complaints, some from residents who hear the crusher from inside their houses.
"The noise is as bad now as it ever was," Matheson said. "It sounds like a million rocks rattling around in tin."
The current small crusher is temporary, and he worries about the kind and size of crusher that would arrive once the company moves into operations.
Matheson suggests they put the crusher behind a hill, bury it and run a conveyor belt from the crusher.
During the tour, he asked the company to consider abandoning its work on the southern site but has not yet heard anything back.
He said he didn't receive a clear answer on what hours of the day the mine would operate.
"I think the mine is clearly demonstrating what kind of corporate company they really are - a lot of talk and no action," Matheson said. "We would hope through public consultation they would have the answers to lots of our questions, and we're looking forward to it." Area resident Bob D'Arcy said he too was unhappy with the tour.
"This is a case of them being guilty until proven innocent," D'Arcy said. "It's not the other way around because they are talking about our homes."
He said he wasn't satisfied with responses to his concerns. "The berm doesn't stop noise," D'Arcy said. "The visual is already a problem."
On June 24, Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) directors toured the southern site.
Gibsons Mayor Barry Janyk said the tour was an informative, positive experience. "It's a pleasant way to begin negotiations," he said.
There was open discussion of concerns, and Janyk said he got the impression the company is willing to listen to the concerns of the board and the public.
He would like to see the company give back to the community, since the local governments don't receive tax revenue from mine sites.
Janyk added he'd like to go back to see the northern site. He would also like to talk to environmentalists and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans about fish habitat concerns.
Celia Fisher, SCRD director for Elphinstone, said the SCRD and District of Sechelt would try to work together to mitigate some of the residents' concerns.
"It is extremely frustrating when local governments have no control over what's going to happen at these sites," Fisher said.
She said she doesn't have a problem with business, but she wishes a large business with impacts on the community would be more aware of the reaction of the community before it arrives.
"Everything's happening after the fact, and people find that really upsetting," Fisher said.
John Rees, SCRD director for Pender Harbour and Egmont, said there was some disagreement over zoning and land use definitions at the weigh scale site because of discrepancies between local and provincial regulations.
"I think the SCRD's concerns will be addressed," Rees said. But he added there's no guarantee any activity would stop.After the tour, directors met with the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. Rees said the ministry's executive director of permitting and reclamation, Graeme McLaren, wasn't aware of the community's concerns about the Pan Pacific mine but welcomes local feedback.
Pan Pacific is operating under an exploration permit, but the ministry would have to approve each new level of activity, Rees said.
"If local input were sent to McLaren and copied to the SCRD, I definitely feel that would have an impact," Rees said.
