The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
KWG Resources Inc. launched a social media campaign Monday it wants northerners and other Ontarians to use to pressure provincial election candidates to seriously consider the company’s proposed Ring of Fire bill.
The company, which has a 30% interest in the Big Daddy chromite deposit and the right to earn 80% of the Black Horse chromite deposit, is trying to end the political deadlock in the Ring of Fire, says its president and chief executive officer.
Frank Smeenk says the Ring of Fire will benefit every citizen and community of Ontario — and all Canadians — for generations. So KWG is taking a leadership role “that helps end the political gridlock by proposing real and achievable solutions.
“I encourage all Ring of Fire supporters to participate in this process by having your voices heard and helping spread the message to every corner of this country. Together, we will get the Ring of Fire going,” said Smeenk in a statement.
But Smeenk says his company needs “your” vote to make that. KWG has devised a plan, backed by its own proposed bill, that would turn the Ontario Northland Transportation Corporation into the Northern Transportation Corporation. The company placed a full-page ad promoting that in Canada’s national newspaper, the Globe and Mail, last month.
The ONTC and the development corporation would be governed by residents of Northern Ontario, and project financing would be raised by capital markets to pay for transportation and other infrastructure needed to develop mine projects in the Ring of Fire, 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.
KWG is asking residents to get involved and back its plan by calling or emailing candidates in the June 12 election, signing the KWG Resources petition to be presented to whatever party forms the next government and sharing the company’s plan via Facebook and Twitter.
Maurice Lavigne, KWG’s vice-president of exploration and development, said the social media campaign “gives people a voice on the Ring of Fire.”
While the Ontario Liberals have now pledged $1 billion to develop Ring of Fire infrastructure, that figure is meaningless unless there is a plan to back it up.
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