Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery – Page 10

Ring of Fire development stalled due to lack of dialogue with First Nations, Guilbeault says – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – July 17, 2023)

July 17, 2023

‘We haven’t been able to agree yet’

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says the lack of progress in mining projects in the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region in Northern Ontario can likely be attributed to a lack of discussions with Indigenous nations.

Both the federal government and province of Ontario believe the Ring of Fire, located about 500 kilometres from Thunder Bay, has the potential to produce minerals — such as nickel and copper — currently in high demand as countries look to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels.

[Ontario Ring of Fire] The natural resources project that the Liberals can’t be allowed to fumble – by Conrad Black (National Post – July 15, 2023)

July 15, 2023

https://nationalpost.com/

One of the world’s largest chromium deposits gives the Western Alliance a tremendous advantage

Regular readers will recall that from time to time I inveigh in this space against the uncompetitive economic performance of this country as we slip steadily down the list of the world’s most prosperous per capita incomes and we suffer every year from negative capital flows: more Canadian capital invested outside Canada than Canada attracts from foreigners.

The present federal government seems to wish to discourage our primary industry sector, that is all natural resources, though particularly the oil and gas industries. What the world envies about and most needs from Canada is that it is a treasure house of almost all forms of energy, forest products, base and precious metals and non-tropical agriculture.

Canada to Speed Up Critical Minerals Permits in Bid to Erode China’s Dominance – by Jacob Lorinc and Brian Platt (Bloomberg News – July 2023)

July 14, 2023

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government hopes to unveil a plan by the end of this year to streamline permitting for mining projects as the US and its allies push to accelerate the production of critical minerals in North America.

Canada faces mounting pressure to keep pace with its southern neighbor as the US ramps up efforts to secure the metals needed for electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines. American lawmakers have been debating legislation that could substantially speed up approval times for resource projects.

The flame bearer: Kristan Straub, chief executive officer, Ring of Fire Metals – by Mehanaz Yakub (CIM Magazine – July 04, 2023)

July 14, 2023

https://magazine.cim.org/en/

Kristan Straub’s path to becoming the newly appointed CEO of Ring of Fire Metals was influenced by both nature and nurture.

With both his maternal and paternal grandfathers working in the mining industry and living in Falconbridge in Greater Sudbury, the allure of the local mine, mill and smelter naturally captivated his interest as a boy.

First Nation takes Ontario to court over Ring of Fire road – by Matteo Cimellaro (National Observer – July 14, 2023)

July 14, 2023

https://www.nationalobserver.com/

On Thursday and Friday, Neskantaga First Nation will face off in court against the Ontario government over what the nation argues was a flawed consultation on a road that will link the province’s road infrastructure with the Ring of Fire mining region.

Neskantaga First Nation, a remote, fly-in community located over 400 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, maintains the provincial government’s consultation process for the project’s environmental assessment was inadequate.

Doug Ford says this mining region is a top priority. Ottawa doesn’t necessarily agree – by Alex Ballingall, Tonda MacCharles and Kristin Rushowy (Toronto Star – July 12, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://www.thestar.com/

Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson cast doubt on hopes for a mining bonanza in Ontario’s “Ring of Fire,” saying there are better projects that can be developed easier in areas closer to existing infrastructure.

OTTAWA—Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson cast doubt on hopes for a mining bonanza in Ontario’s “Ring of Fire,” saying there are better projects that can be developed easier in areas closer to existing infrastructure.

It’s the latest sign the Trudeau government isn’t yet convinced the region in the province’s vast, environmentally sensitive northern peatlands is the best place for new mining, even as it tries to make Canada an international powerhouse in critical minerals needed to power the global shift to a greener, low-carbon economy.

The EV battery gold rush is here. Here’s how Canada can access its untapped resources. – by Virginia Heffernan (MACLEAN’S Magazine – July 10, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://macleans.ca/

“If Canada can find a way to sustainably mine and supply metals to EV manufacturing hubs in North America, the country will be spinning green gold”

Canada’s EV sector is booming. In 2022, GM Canada opened the country’s first full-scale EV manufacturing plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The federal government is offering billions of dollars in subsidies to Volkswagen and Stellantis to build EV battery plants in the province.

More than 86,000 EVs were registered in Canada in 2021, compared to around 19,000 in 2017. Battery charging infrastructure is improving rapidly too: Telus and the Australian EV company Jolt announced plans to build 5,000 charging stations in five years across Canada.

‘Shovels in the ground faster’: Frustrated by long delays, Doug Ford plans to push other premiers to support better co-ordination with Ottawa for big infrastructure projects – by Kristin Rushowy (Toronto Star – July 10, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://www.thestar.com/

Frustrated in particular by the decade-plus of delays to the Ring of Fire critical mineral project in northern Ontario Ford is hoping to get the country’s 12 other provincial and territorial leaders on side at the Council of the Federation.

Ottawa needs to work with provinces so that big infrastructure projects can get going faster, says Premier Doug Ford in what will be his main push as he heads to the annual summer meeting of provincial and territorial leaders.

Frustrated in particular by the decade-plus of delays to the Ring of Fire critical mineral project in northern Ontario — as well as slowdowns on others in dealing with two levels of government — Ford is hoping to get the country’s 12 other provincial and territorial leaders on side at the Council of the Federation, which runs Monday to Wednesday in Winnipeg.

Battles brewing as Ontario, Canada push Ring of Fire mining to boost EV plan – by Colin D’Mello & Isaac Callan (Global News – July 8, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://globalnews.ca/

The lawyer representing a number of First Nations communities opposed to the Ford government’s plans for the Ring of Fire is cautioning that the province’s long-term electric vehicle battery manufacturing strategy might be a “fool’s errand.”

Premier Doug Ford agreed to enter into a pact with the federal government to offer hefty subsidies to companies that choose to build lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles in Ontario, seen as the next frontier in the province’s auto manufacturing strategy. Both governments have poured billions into packages to tempt car makers to set up in the province.

Let’s Not Forget the Extraordinary, World-Class Chromite Deposits in Ontario’s Ring of Fire – by Frank Smeenk (Originally Posted on June 18, 2020)

July 11, 2023July 10, 2023

With practically all of the attention in the Ring of Fire focused on nickel and copper, I thought it might be important to repost Mr. Smeenk’s excellent column on the globally significant chromite resources in this extraordinary mining camp. Roughly half of chromite production is mined in South Africa which is becoming more politically unstable with electricity shortages and rail transportation problems becoming more frequent. The importance of reshoring manufacturing to North America as well as developing more critical mineral mining makes Mr. Smeenk’s column very timely. – Stan Sudol

Frank Smeenk is the President and Chief Executive Officer of KWG Resources Inc.

HOW MUCH BALONEY IS IN THE RING OF FIRE SANDWICH?

Stainless steel is approximately 18% chrome and 8% nickel with iron constituting most of the remaining 74%. A decade ago, the private Chinese enterprise Tsingshan Group, started to establish facilities in Indonesia to produce large quantities of nickel pig iron to make stainless steel there by adding ferrochrome melt made with coal-generated electricity.

Treaty 9 Nations press ahead with lawsuit on mine development – by Staff (Timmins Today – June 24, 2023)

June 26, 2023

https://www.timminstoday.com/

Communities want “dual decision-making regime” established to govern traditional territories

Northern Ontario Business – Attempts by government to expedite mining-related development in the Ring of Fire have prompted a lawsuit against the Crown by 10 First Nations in northwestern Ontario and the Far North.

After threatening legal action last April, a coalition of Indigenous communities in the Treaty 9 territory will challenge, what they claim is, “unilateral decision-making” by Canada and Ontario to spur development with their consent on their traditional territories in the James Bay region.

Red tape may strangle natural resource opportunity – by Kenneth Green (Toronto Sun – June 13, 2023)

June 15, 2023

https://torontosun.com/

Canada has a problem, nowadays, in getting Big Things Done

The “Ring of Fire” mining project is in the news again. And it’s looking eerily familiar to the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline project, which went through interminable on-again-off-again cycles of regulatory approvals and delays before the company that proposed the project withdrew and the federal government purchased the project. The pipeline is now being (slowly) completed at a wildly inflated cost.

The Ring of Fire is an area in northern Ontario some 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, covering 5,000 square kilometres. The Ontario government’s website lists five metals (including chromite and nickel), which are plentiful in the area and of potential use in making good on the federal government’s plans to “transition” Canadians into battery-electric vehicles.

Records and Roots: Breaking down the “Ring of Fire” – by Tom Netherland (Times News – June 2023)

June 15, 2023

https://www.timesnews.net/

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Johnny Cash was in a rut. By the spring of 1963, Cash had recorded just one top 10 record, his uninspiring 1962 cover of Jimmie Rodgers’ “In the Jailhouse Now,” since 1960’s “Seasons of My Heart.” Furthermore, Cash had not touched down with a No. 1 single since February 1959 with “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town.”

Johnny Cash needed a hit. Not only that, his marriage to wife Vivian was crumbling, battles with addiction escalating. Well, this month marks an important anniversary for “Ring of Fire” and Johnny Cash.

VIEWPOINT: Capitalizing on Canada’s critical minerals is an economic and geopolitical win-win – by Andrew Evans (The Hub – June 12, 2023)

June 12, 2023

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Developing Ontario’s critical minerals will help Canada and the Western world counter China

Andrew Forrest, the owner of the Wyloo Metals, a main company in Ontario’s Ring of Fire,1 recently raised issues with Canada’s regulatory overburden and called into question the viability of the entire project. The Ring of Fire is one of Ontario’s most significant economic opportunities, but the debate has been missing a critical aspect of why it matters: the role of global geopolitics.

Much like the oil industry, the critical minerals industry is geographically concentrated and lends itself to natural economic bottlenecks. China controls significant majorities and pluralities in every step of the value chain.

‘Get off the bulldozer’ and come to the table, Matawa chief tells Premier Ford – by Shari Narine (Windspeaker – May 30, 2023)

June 1, 2023

https://windspeaker.com/

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he’s ready to jump on the bulldozer and build the access road to the Ring of Fire, an area rich with critical mineral deposits in the province’s far north. In the next breath though, he says, “Well, we don’t like conflict. We want to work with (the Matawa Nations), hand-in-hand, and be collaborative.”

Ford’s words came during a visit to Brampton, which will be home to a new electric vehicle battery facility. The metals for the EV factory are found in the Ring of Fire, which is within Treaty 9 territory.