The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.
WITH all the attention being given to the proposed Black Thor chromite mine there is a tendency to overlook the many other mining projects — existing and planned — throughout Northern Ontario. Cliffs Natural Resources’ project will surely be the biggest and the awarding of its processing plant to Sudbury set off a wave of discontent in competing communities here in the Northwest. In Thunder Bay, at least, it didn’t last long. One day after the dust settled on Cliffs’ decision, Thunder Bay and a group of partners launched an initiative to ensure they are ready to service, and take advantage of the many spinoffs from mining activity in the Ring of Fire and beyond.
The City of Thunder Bay is developing a Mining Readiness Strategy to place itself and its partners at the centre of consideration for one of Ontario’s largest economic development opportunities.
Together with Fort William and other First Nations, its own economic development corporation, the province and others in the region, Thunder Bay wants to make sure all mining interests are aware of the potential to include these entities in their plans and count on their ability to partner in the North’s new mining boom.
Mayor Keith Hobbs — who went from angry on Wednesday to determinedly optimistic on Friday — has several goals in mind.
The first is to maximize job-creation opportunities for all people living in the city and surrounding region. Whether that be young people looking for career choices in college and university, people looking for new jobs after losing theirs in the forestry downturn, or residents on First Nations close to existing and proposed mine sites, the idea is to provide the mining industry with a capable workforce.
Next on Hobbs’ list is using city and regional companies to participate in mining exploration, construction and operations. The area’s industrial services sector is talented and diverse. It’s been developed over decades and is ready to gear up for new opportunities.
Hobbs is putting this initiative front and centre for the next six months. He counts a dozen mines aside from Cliffs’ plan — a new mining boom with the potential to create 8,000 direct jobs and countless contracts for local and area industries.
“Thunder Bay is going to be a mining centre,” said city manager Tim Commisso flatly. It’s coming. How do we get ready for it?
We get ready by ensuring the mining industry and the provincial and federal governments know we are willing and able to be every bit as much a go-to community partnership as any other. We’re the largest city closest to the Ring of Fire with a ready-made transportation sector and a workforce that is or will be able to step into the jobs the industry needs done.