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Northern Ontario Politics

Nickel Belt MP proposes “marriage counseling” for Ring of Fire – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – November 29, 2013)

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North. Ian Ross is the editor of Northern Ontario Business ianross@nob.on.ca.

Nickel Belt (Sudbury) MP Claude Gravelle thinks it’s time to open a new channel of dialogue between Ottawa and Queen’s Park on the Ring of Fire. The Ontario government’s pleas for the federal government to buy into mining development in the James Bay lowlands appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

Gravelle wants to stop the political rhetoric and dive into the details as to what exactly the Wynne government wants.

He’s bringing forward a motion before the federal standing committee on natural resources to call the Government of Ontario as a witness to better understand what their needs are to move the stalled multi-billion dollar chromite and base metal project forward.

“I want to try and understand their specific policy concerns and we can determine what federal policy actions we can take,” said Gravelle, a member of the committee which meets Dec. 2.

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CBC Radio Sudbury Morning North Host Markus Schwabe Interviews Queens Park Reporter Robert Fisher About Ring of Fire – November 28, 2013)

http://www.cbc.ca/sudbury/ Report from Queen’s Park (Nov 28) In this edition of Report from Queen’s Park, our Provincial Affairs Specialist Robert Fisher looks at how the Ontario Legislature has been handling issues that relate to the Ring of Fire mineral deposit. Click here for the radio interview: http://www.cbc.ca/morningnorth/past-episodes/2013/11/28/report-from-queens-park-nov-28/

Mining suspension dubbed ‘Major setback’ – by Rob Learn (North Bay Nipissing News – November 27, 2013)

http://www.northbaynipissing.com/northbaynipissing/

NIPISSING – If Cliffs Resources and the provincial government are playing poker over the Ring of Fire development, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli says the mining giant has decided to fold.

“It’s a major blow and a major setback for Ontario,” said the Progressive Conservative member. “…(Cliffs) have closed their Thunder Bay and Toronto offices. This is not a ploy… They have no confidence in this provincial government. They have waited for five years and there is nothing.”

Fedeli’s comments come on the heels of the announcement last week from Cliffs Resources that it was halting all work towards their Ring of Fire plans to develop a chromite mine in what has been called the biggest mining discovery in Canada in a century.

The consequences for Nipissing region could be devastating. “The North Bay area is involved in the exploration, the delineation of the ore body, the design of the mines and supplying the mines should they go forward. This is devastating,” said Fedeli.

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Feds reluctant partners on Ring of Fire: Gravelle – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – November 27, 2013)

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North. 

The Ontario government’s repeated calls for Ottawa to buy into development of the Ring of Fire appear to have gone straight to voice mail.

Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle said it’s time for the feds to put its money where its mouth is by working with Queen’s Park on infrastructure and fully realize the 100-year potential of the mining district.

Gravelle fired off a Nov. 24 letter to FedNor Minister Greg Rickford, his federal Ring of Fire counterpart, asking that Ottawa participate in the province’s newly created Ring of Fire corporation.

“You’ve stated repeatedly that you know the significance of this project but we have yet to see that turn into action,” wrote Gravelle, in alluding to past statements by the Harper government that resource development is essential to Canada’s long-term economic growth.

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Need to see details of Ring deal – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – November 27, 2013)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

It’s been a week since Cliffs Natural Resources dropped the bombshell that was not a bombshell — that it was indefinitely suspending work on its Ring of Fire chromite project. You didn’t need a crystal ball to see that one coming although some politicians claimed to have been blind-sided by it.

Bill Boor, who was Cliffs’ vice-president of global ferroalloys but now has a new title, senior vice-president of strategy and business development, had been telegraphing that message for months.

A year ago, Boor cautioned 330 people at a Greater Chamber of Commerce luncheon that several planets would have to align for Cliffs to begin production at its McFaulds Lake mine by 2016.

In March, he told The Sudbury Star that while he understood that the change of leadership after Premier Dalton McGuinty resigned could slow the progress of talks, Cliffs needed to sign a “definitive document” before it could develop its Black Thor deposit.

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Ring of Fire: Province challenges feds to develop Ring – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – November 27, 2013)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle challenged the federal government this week to accept responsibility to help develop the Ring of Fire and make a financial commitment to do so.

Gravelle wrote Kenora MP Greg Rickford, minister of state for Science and Technology and FedNor minister, asking the federal government to “step up to the plate” and be a committed partner in developing the rich chromite deposits.

Gravelle highlighted the potential benefits the Ring of Fire will have for First Nations and other people in Ontario and across Canada.

He pointed out the federal government has supported large-scale resource development initiatives in other parts of Canada because of their potential for national economic and social benefits, citing developments in B.C. and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Gravelle said the development corporation he announced almost three weeks ago “reflects our commitment to the infrastructure that is critical to successful development into the Ring of Fire.”

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Wynne vows to push Harper on Ring of Fire – by Rob Ferguson (Toronto Star – November 26, 2013)

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

Ontario will keep the heat on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to help develop the Ring of Fire, Premier Kathleen Wynne says

Ontario will keep the heat on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to help get the northern Ring of Fire mineral belt into production following a setback last week, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Monday.

Her comments came after Harper seemed cool to federal support for the potential $60 billion project in a remote area 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay last week.

“The prime minister and his ministers have sung the praises of the opportunities in the Ring of Fire and I believe it’s incumbent upon them . . . to take part in the project and to be full partners,” Wynne told reporters. “They have been full partners in other projects across the country,” she added, referring to energy projects in Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador.

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CBC News Sudbury Ring of Fire Interviews With Bob Rae and Greg Rickford (November 22, 2013)

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

CBC News Sudbury – Points North Jason Turnbull Interview with Bob Rae

Bob Rae who has been hired by the Matawa Tribal Council to negotiate resource revenue sharing and other aggreements with the Ontario government, reflecting on Cliffs’ decision to suspend Chromite project

Late Wednesday, Cliffs announced it was stopping work on the project because of an uncertain timeline and the risks associated to infrastructure like roads.

Click here for interview: http://www.cbc.ca/pointsnorth/episodes/2013/11/22/bob-rae-reflecting-on-cliffs-decision-to-suspend-chromite-project/

CBC News Sudbury – Points North Jason Turnbull Interview with federal M.P. Greg Rickford

Greg Rickford blames premier for Cliffs’ suspension

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Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle Letter to FEDNOR Minister Greg Rickford (November 24, 2013)

November 24, 2013

The Honourable Greg Rickford, MP
Minister of State (Science and Technology, and
Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Rickford:

On November 8, 2013, Premier Wynne wrote to Prime Minister Harper, and I wrote to you, seeking your government’s support and participation in Ontario’s plan to establish a development corporation to facilitate development of infrastructure into the Ring of Fire. Leading up to this, Ontario has been consistent in its requests for federal engagement on Ring of Fire development initiatives and, through the most recent and previous correspondence throughout 2012 — in particular letters of May 8, 2012, June 1, 2012, and September 6, 2012 — highlighted the need for both levels of government to work together to support development of this globally significant resource.

In fact, as recently as November 7th, in Ontario’s Fall Economic Statement, we renewed our call on the federal government to step up to the plate. That call went unanswered.

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‘Bad news for all of Ontario’ – Bisson on Cliffs – Benjamin Aubé (Timmins Daily Press – November 25, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – It was MPP Gilles Bisson’s (NDP – Timmins-James Bay) turn to direct scathing remarks towards the province surrounding its handling of the Ring of Fire.

Last week, Cliffs Natural Resources indefinitely suspended its proposed chromite mine in the James Bay lowlands, citing a lack of progress on the file on the provincial government’s behalf.

“It’s not a surprise,” Bisson said on Sunday. “We’ve been meeting with Cliffs and other players in the Ring of Fire. They are all complaining about how the provincial government has not been front and centre about how to deal with the key issues that will allow this project to go forward, so it’s not without surprise.”

Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne and Minister of Natural Resources Michael Gravelle each stated development was ongoing in the region and that they were confident Cliffs would come back to the table in the future, citing the importance of getting the project done correctly.

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Premier Wynne goes to Ottawa, looking for the PM – – by Martin Regg Cohn (Toronto Star – November 24, 2013)

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

Does Ontario’s premier merit a meeting with the prime minister — or even a reply from his correspondence unit?

Last summer, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made time for Rob Ford on short notice. At a photo-op, he promised the mayor a big fat federal cheque bankrolling an unneeded subway through Scarborough’s low-density corridor.

Federal finance minister (and Ford family friend) Jim Flaherty followed up with $660 million in taxpayers’ money that same week — money down the drain for their gravy train. It’s never a problem getting federal funding or face time for Ford because, as our mayor still boasts, he heads Canada’s sixth-largest government.

But what of Canada’s second-largest government at Queen’s Park? Does Ontario’s premier merit a meeting with the prime minister — or a reply from his correspondence unit? We shall soon see Harper’s political calculus. On Dec. 5th, Ms. Wynne goes to Ottawa. And tries to see the prime minister.

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Ontario urged to get act together to save Ring of Fire development – by Global News Toronto (November 22, 2013)

http://globalnews.ca/toronto/

TORONTO – The finger-pointing has begun as governments and critics look to assign blame over a big mining company’s pullout from the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario, a massive mineral-rich area believed to have the economic potential of Alberta’s oilsands.

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. is suspending its operations indefinitely, saying it couldn’t keep spending money while the question of whether it would be able to build an all-weather road to the remote site remained in doubt.

It’s a major setback for cash-strapped Ontario, which may not see the economic windfall the governing Liberals had promised anytime soon.

Greg Rickford, the federal Conservatives’ lead minister for the Ring of Fire, said he was surprised with the Cliffs decision, because the company was “very satisfied” with the federal government’s involvement in the project. But in some ways, it wasn’t that surprising, said the minister of state for FedNor, the economic development organization for northern Ontario.

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Don’t blame feds, says minister – by Benjamin Aubé (Timmins Daily Press – November 22, 2013)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – During a stop in Timmins on Friday, the federal minister responsible for the Ring of Fire gave pointed answers as to who he thought was to blame for Cliffs Natural Resources pulling out of its proposed multi-billion dollar chromite mining project.

Greg Rickford (Conservative – Kenora), federal Minister of State for Science and Technology, and FedNor, said the management of an intra-company land ownership conflict between Cliffs and KWG Resources Inc. is at the top of the list of reasons why the project was put on hold.

Since Ontario’s mining and land commissioner ruled against Ohio-based Cliffs request for an easement to build an access road across KWG-owned land in September, Cliffs had threatened to indefinitely cancel the project. Rickford expanded on why he believed the decision was ultimately announced by Cliffs late Wednesday night.

“The land commissioner’s decision is the real source of the uncertainty; you can’t talk about those large-scale infrastructure projects until you know in which direction they’re going to go,” said Rickford.

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Solving ‘Ring of Fire’ delays up to Ontario, Harper says – by Margo McDiarmid (CBC News – November 22, 2013)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his government is not getting involved in sorting out problems in Ontario’s mineral-rich region known as the Ring of Fire.

Harper was in Winnipeg Friday for an event with Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger to open a local highway partly funded by the federal government. Asked by a reporter if he was going to do anything to get the Ring of Fire back on track following the decision by a major U.S. mining company on Thursday to suspend its operations in the area, Harper said it isn’t his problem.

“This is a project that is primarily under provincial jurisdiction because ultimately resources belong to the provinces and resource development is a provincial responsibility,” Harper said.

“Obviously we have been talking to Ontario over the past few years in terms of regulatory approval processes, in terms of infrastructure investments and in terms of making sure First Nations continue to benefit,” he told reporters.

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Fedeli blames Liberal’s for ‘bungled’ Ring of Fire project – by Gord Young (North Bay Nugget – November 22, 2013)

http://www.nugget.ca/

The provincial Liberals ignored the warnings and bungled an opportunity for billions of dollars of private-sector investment to develop the Ring Fire, says Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli.

Fedeli and the Progressive Conservatives were quick to blame the Liberal government Thursday for the decision by Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. to indefinitely suspend its planned chromite mine and Caperol processing plant.

“You guys just blew a $10-billion deal of a lifetime,” charged Fedeli during question period, noting Cliffs and other smaller players with interests in the site were prepared to to make that level of investment to mine and ship ore from the remote area in the James Bay Lowlands.

Fedeli suggested the Liberals have instead “dithered” for years on moving ahead with the development of the Ring of Fire. And he said the government did nothing when warned by Cliffs as recently as month ago that the project was in a tenuous state.

Fedeli said he visited the Ring of Fire site three times over the past five year and that each time there was less and less and activity.

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