Ferrochrome smelter bids draw concern from northeastern Ontario communities – by Robin De Angelis (CBC News Sudbury – February 12, 2018)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Noront to select smelter location this spring

As cities across northern Ontario await a decision on the location of Noront’s ferrochrome smelter, some people say they don’t want the site in their backyard.

The former Inco smelter in Coniston was chosen for Sudbury’s bid. If selected, the site would process chromite from Noront’s mining operation in the Ring of Fire. Community members are now mobilizing against the smelter and circulating a petition to “Save Coniston.”

The petition, which has garnered more than 270 signatures, states that “Coniston has long been a place where the earth remained scorched and contaminated from previous industrial processing.”

Barb Deschamps, one of the people involved in the campaign, says she doesn’t want to see that happen to her community again.

She’s worried about where the smelter would be located, according to information provided by the city during a recent public information session. “It’s lower ground, and the river is right there,” she said, raising concerns about any effluent or waste that could come from the operation.

For the rest of this article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/ferrochrome-smelter-backlash-1.4529243