The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
The mine supply business is an important segment of the Northern Ontario economy. The news that Cliffs Natural Resources has temporarily halted its environmental assessment work in the Ring of Fire will not spread any joy.
Some analysts say Cliffs is just playing a card in a complicated poker game. The environmental assessment work is being done in compliance with both federal and provincial assessment acts. The company may be trying to cut through some of the tangled red tape that government departments inevitably create.
According to its website, Cliffs was hoping to get into production by 2016, which means that an incredible amount of work must be done within a comparatively short time.
Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli pointed out recently other mining companies are certainly interested in the Ring of Fire region, so if Cliffs does not do something, others will.
Cliffs and the provincial government must come to an agreement with one or more First Nations in the region who may not be very pleased with the prospect of losing some of their traditional hunting grounds.