MP foresees fiery clash [mining and First Nations]- by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – September 12, 2012)

 The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – MP Charlie Angus (NDP — Timmins-James Bay) foresees a clash between First Nations and mining companies within the Ring of Fire. He believes the federal government has a role to play in helping to prevent it.
 
“We could end up with clashes on the ground and it seems to be a lot opportunity to have conflict over this,” Angus said Wednesday. “I’ve talked to First Nations and I’ve talked to mining companies in the North who are both very frustrated about the fact when it comes to these negotiations, the feds are not at the table.
 
“We need to be partners together for development. What we want to see is the feds sitting down at the table” along with the province, First Nation communities and mining companies. The Daily Press asked Angus about building tensions within the James Bay lowlands during a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday in advance of the fall session of parliament which begins Monday.
 
Among the key concerns for Angus is the plan to increase size of the Timmins-James Bay federal riding which is already larger than some European countries.

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Pickle Lake pushes east-west Ring of Fire route – by Bryan Meadows (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – September 13, 2012)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

The Township of Pickle Lake wants the province to reconsider its support for a proposed north-south road corridor to Nakina from the Ring of Fire mining camp.

“The businesses in our community stand to lose 30 to 40 per cent of their business due to the north-south route decision,” Mayor Roy Hoffman said Wednesday. “The impact of this could potentially put these businesses ‘out of business’ and put extreme pressure on a community that is already struggling to survive.”

Hoffman explained that a north-south route would impact a supply chain developed over decades through Pickle Lake, which acts as a distribution point for building supplies, fuel, groceries, mail and medical supplies.

“To fundamentally change the flow of traffic to (remote) First Nation communities will have a negative economic impact on the community,” he said, noting that the community prefers that a north-south rail line be constructed to get minerals to market from the Ring of Fire, south to Nakina and the CN Railway main line.

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NEWS RELEASE: Greenstone confirmed as Gateway to the Ring of Fire

(Greenstone, Sept. 12, 2012) “More and more it is becoming clear that the Municipality of Greenstone is emerging as the gateway to the Ring of Fire.” These words were used by Greenstone Mayor, Renald Beaulieu, while briefing Councillors on recent developments concerning the Municipality.

The first development is the Noront Resources (NR) announcement that their “base case” is predicated on transporting Ring of Fire ore using the proposed North-South Corridor (with a southern terminus in Greenstone’s Nakina ward. The second is that the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) is now considering an East of Lake Nipigon transmission corridor.

When commenting on NR’s decision to transport ore on the planned north-south road, the Mayor said, “For decades, Nakina was viewed as the end of the road, but increasingly it seems that Nakina, a proud part of Greenstone, will soon be seen as the start of the road.”

Adding greatly to the Mayor’s enthusiasm was the low key, yet pivotal, news that the Northwest Ontario First Nations Transmission Planning Committee (NOFNTPC) has been informed by the OPA that the OPA is now studying an East side of Lake Nipigon transmission line.

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Cliffs defers Ring of Fire chromite production to 2016 – Staff (Northern Ontario Business – September 2012)

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.

Cliffs Natural Resources is pushing back the start of production at its Ring of Fire chromite deposit in the James Bay lowlands by one year. 

In its latest investor presentation, the Ohio miner said Black Thor will begin production in 2016.
 
“The final decision on the furnace location (in Sudbury) took Cliffs longer than originally planned,” said spokeswoman Pat Persico by email. “This was due to the necessary discussions held with the province of Ontario regarding power and road. As these are very important decisions driving the long-term project, Cliffs is focused on making the best choices and adjusting schedules accordingly.”
 
First Nations concerns about the project’s impact on the environment and the lack of consultation were not a factor in adjusting the development timeline, she said.

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Martin Falls signs Ring of Fire agreement with Ontario – by Lenny Carpenter (Wawatay News – September 7, 2012)

Northern Ontario’s First Nations Voice: http://wawataynews.ca/

Marten Falls First Nation and the Ontario government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Sept. 7.  The agreement signifies a working relationship where the two parties will work to ensure minimal environmental impacts as a result of mining development in the Ring of Fire.
 
Signed in Marten Falls by Chief Eli Moonias, Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci and Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle, the MOU addresses the employment, economic development and environmental impacts of any Ring of Fire projects in the First Nation’s traditional territory.
 
In a media release, Moonias said the Ring of Fire is an opportunity for the community to work towards the implementation of Treaty 9, which their ancestors signed with mutual benefits for all parties, including an annual payment of $4 for all band members.
 
“Needless to say, the environment has no price tag,” he said. “Therefore, development will proceed only if the environmental assessment process is thorough and with the full participation of Marten Falls First Nation.”

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NEWS RELEASE: NORONT RELEASES POSITIVE FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR EAGLE’S NEST PROJECT

Sep. 4, 2012

Toronto, Ontario, September 4, 2012. Noront Resources Ltd. (“Noront” or the “Company”) (TSX Venture: NOT) is pleased to announce the results of an updated National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”) compliant Feasibility Study (“FS”) for a stand alone nickel, copper, platinum group element (“Ni-Cu-PGE”) mine and mill complex exploiting the Company’s 100% owned Eagle’s Nest deposit (the “Project”), McFaulds Lake, James Bay Lowlands, Ontario. The results of the independent study, completed by Independent Consultants1 under the supervision of Micon International (“Micon”), confirms that Eagle’s Nest offers robust economics.
 
FEASIBILITY STUDY HIGHLIGHTS:

A Discounted Cash Flow (“DCF”) based on the Assumed Metal Prices2 indicates:
•an after tax Net Present Value at an 8% discount rate (“NPV(8%)”) of $543 million;
•an after tax IRR exceeding 28%;•an estimated initial capital investment of $609 million;
•an estimated life of mine sustaining capital cost of $160 million;
•estimated operating costs (including road access fees) of $97 per tonne or $2.34 per pound of nickel equivalent or -$0.31 per pound of nickel net by-product credits;
•an estimated mine life of 11 years; and
•a capital payback period of under 3 years based on a 100% equity project.

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Bartolucci ‘very, very excited’ about the Ring of Fire – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – September 4, 2012)

Northern Ontario’s First Nations Voice: http://wawataynews.ca/

Concerns that Ontario is planning to give a special ministerial exemption to Cliffs Natural Resources so that the American company can export raw ore from the Ring of Fire out of Canada were raised in the provincial legislature Aug. 28.
 
The MPP for Timmins-James Bay who brought up the issue was left scratching his head over Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci’s response.
 
On Aug. 28 NDP MPP Gilles Bisson asked Bartolucci whether the government is “in any way in discussions with Cliffs resources to sign a ministerial permit allowing ore to be shipped out of Canada?” Instead of answering the question, Bartolucci explained the government’s position on the mining development.
 
“We are very, very excited about the Ring of Fire,” Bartolucci said in his response. “There are several aspects that the government is speaking to Cliffs about, which will be no surprise to the member from Timmins–James Bay, because we were very, very excited. I think members on both sides of the House were very, very excited when Cliffs decided that they were going to build their processing plant in Ontario.”

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Neskantaga will ‘continue to fight’ Ring of Fire despite court ruling – Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – August 31, 2012)

Northern Ontario’s First Nations Voice: http://wawataynews.ca/

Neskantaga Chief Peter Moonias says his community will continue to fight to slow down the Ring of Fire, just days after Ontario’s Mining Commissioner ruled against the First Nation on it’s case targeting a north-south road to the development.
 
Moonias also told Wawatay News that he remains committed to laying down his life to block a bridge being built over the Attawapiskat River.
 
“We will continue to fight, (with) whatever means we can,” Moonias said. “And I will stand by what I said before. I am not backing down on it, regardless of what Cliffs will do in there. I’m not backing down a bit. My people are prepared to do that. We are serious when we say something.”
 
The Ontario Mining Commissioner, Linda Kamerman, dismissed Neskantaga court case in a decision released Aug. 24. Neskantaga had gone to the mining court attempting to be named a landholder in a dispute over mining claims between Cliffs Natural Resources and Canada Chrome Corporation (CCC).

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NEWS RELEASE: Neskantaga First Nation Will Continue to Fight the Construction of a Road to the Ring of Fire in the Wake of an Ontario Mining Commission Court Decision that Up-holds the Community’s Right to Consultation.

For Immediate Release

Thunder Bay, August 29, 2012 –   The Ontario Mining Commission court handed down a decision on a case that had involved Neskantaga First Nation last week. The community had hoped the decision would prevent Cliffs Natural Resources from building a road or rail line across the Attawapiskat River to the proposed site of the company’s Ring of Fire (ROF) chromite mine.  However, the Commission determined that their decision only concerns whether Canada Chrome should have to share the surface rights of the proposed easement with Cliffs Natural Resources and thus does not affect Neskantaga’s interest.

“The decision is both good and bad for us,” said Chief Peter Moonias of Neskantaga First Nation. “On one hand the Commission won’t make a decision about stopping the road, but on the other hand it has strongly acknowledged our First Nation’s right to be consulted.”

The Commission emphasized that its decision will not result in the grant of the road easement to Cliffs.  It is only a decision that tries to determine whether there is a reason that Canada Chrome should not be compelled to share any surface rights with Cliffs.  Once that decision is made, it will then fall to the Minister to decide if the easement should actually be granted.

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NEWS RELEASE: KWG Files for Aggregate Permits [Ring of Fire railroad right-of-way]

TORONTO, ONTARIO – (Aug. 28, 2012) – The KWG Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:KWG) (“KWG”) subsidiary Canada Chrome Corporation has filed applications with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) for thirty-two aggregate permits at sites that are located within the mineral claims covering the company’s 308 kilometre-long railroad right-of-way. The sites were identified and investigated by Golder Associates during initial assessment work conducted for engineering feasibility studies as previously reported. The sites are located along the proposed route for KWG’s railway to the Ring of Fire region, and may provide material for the construction of the planned railbed. An environmental assessment and consultation with affected parties have not yet been concluded.

“In our meetings with Matawa First Nations Management Inc. officers and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency to review our draft Project Description, we have indicated our preference that the consultation requirements and protocols be developed in their entirety by the affected First Nations, to ensure the adequacy of the process,” said KWG President Frank Smeenk. “To make that exercise meaningful, we felt that the physical consequences of the development should be described as fully as possible within the regulatory framework. For that reason we have prepared and filed preliminary aggregate borrowing plans to enable a relatively more informed determination of consultation requirements.”

Canada Chrome Corporation has also made application to MNR under the provisions of the Public Lands Act, for the grant of title to the lands it has tentatively designated as the “Port of Koper Lake” at the northern terminus of its right-of-way.

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Confederation College of Thunder Bay prepares for mining construction boom in Ontario Ring of Fire – by Don Procter (Daily Commercial News and Construction Record – August 28, 2012)

http://www.dcnonl.com/

As mining exploration ramps up in the Ring of Fire in northwestern Ontario, the construction industry in the region awaits busy times.
 
Along with the expected building construction boom, there will be bridges, roads and power infrastructure to build plus “a whole range of unprecedented development,” says Don Bernosky, vice-president, Regional Workforce Development (RWD), at Confederation College in Thunder Bay. “It could be as big as the Sudbury mining basin or the whole Timmins area.”

Meeting the demand for a skilled workforce will be challenging. For training institutes like Confederation College, it is good news that mining companies are still a few years away from construction.

That gives the college “limited time” to develop appropriate training programs for building, says Bernosky. With nine campuses in northwestern Ontario, Confederation is the only community college in the region. It offers apprenticeship training in carpentry, electrical, motive power trades, and construction trades.
 
In conjunction with the multi-billion dollar Ring of Fire developments, there are 12 potential mining projects around Thunder Bay, he says.

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New NAN grand chief [Harvey Yesno] pledges protection of lands – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – August 28, 2012)

Northern Ontario’s First Nations Voice: http://wawataynews.ca/

Nishnawbe Aski Nation’s new grand chief wasted little time in wading into the controversy over resource development on First Nations lands.
 
During a media meet and greet in Thunder Bay on Aug. 22, Harvey Yesno used his opening speech to declare that First Nations in NAN territory are willing to protect their lands by “whatever means possible.”
 
“One thing for sure, on the lands, its going to be all about protection,” Yesno said. “We’re not going to protest over our own lands. Nobody protests over their own property. But people will protect their property. And we’ll protect it by whatever means possible.”

Yesno’s comments come as conflict over the Ring of Fire mining development continues to brew. Neskantaga First Nation chief Peter Moonias has said he is willing to die stopping a bridge from being built over the Attawapiskat River. Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Stan Louttit has also made threats of direct action in the Ring of Fire.

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NAN council seeks new approach [resource development] – by Doug Diaczuk (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – August 23, 2012)

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

The newly-elected grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation will continue to work at creating more engagement with government when it comes to resource development. During a press conference on Wednesday, Harvey Yesno said that chiefs in the NAN territory want a different approach to communicating with the government.

“Today things have changed,” Yesno said told the media. “The issue on the table is resource development that is happening in the communities but there is no meaningful engagement that is happening. We would like to see the governments walk and talk, and we want to participate in that.”

Yesno also spoke about creating a balance for all First Nations when it comes to revenue sharing. On issues relating to land, Yesno emphasized that there needs to be consent and First Nations shouldn’t have to protest to protect their lands.

“We aren’t going to protest and just let things happen,” he said. “We have to protect it. Protest sometimes raises a voice, but most times things just go on. I think that’s the difference.”

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Power needs dictate plant location [Ring of Fire ferrochrome smelter] – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – August 13, 2012)

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

 Despite an impassioned resolution put forth by the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, which supported the construction and operation of a ferrochrome smelter at Exton, the government of Ontario announced May 9 that Capreol would be home to the new facility.
 
It was a matter of logistics, say Bill Boor, senior vice-president of global ferroalloys at Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources, and David Cartella, general manager of environmental affairs and environmental counsel at Cliffs.
 
“We went through a pretty extensive analysis of all the sites where the furnace could be located,” they explain. “There were only a handful of sites that could handle this, and Sudbury was one of them … The power solution is why Sudbury was the winner.”
 
Electric arc furnaces, which are used to melt chromite ore, reach temperatures of 2,800 C. The amount of electricity needed to run the furnaces at the Capreol smelter could power a city of 300,000, Ramsey Hart, Canada program co-ordinator at Mining Watch Canada, says. “The operation of the mine and the transportation of the minerals also have significant carbon footprints,” he says.

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[Ontario’s Ring of Fire] North’s Holy Grail: tapping a $1 trillion resource – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – August 11, 2012)

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

On a humid summery day — the kind of day that makes you feel like you must be living inside a sauna — you open the door to your refrigerator and reach for something to cool you from the inside out. If you count yourself among a growing number of stylish, quality-craving homeowners, yours is a stainless steel fridge. House-hunters and remodellers alike covet stainless steel appliances for their durability, timelessness and aesthetic quality. Industry experts estimate 40% of new appliance sales include “a stainless steel-type finish,” according to Dr. Steel on www.stainless-online.com.
 
Stainless steel appliances have been on the market for the ACCENT past two decades and show no signs of waning popularity. Fingerprints aside, designers recommend them as a solid investment with high resale value. The Atlantic ran a piece in February questioning the popularity of stainless steel. While the author, Megan McArdle, has some reservations, its appeal to domestic types is undeniable.
 
“As a status symbol, (such appliances) signify that: a) you (are) a serious cook, and b) you didn’t just go to Circuit City to get your appliances,” she writes. “In other words, stainless steel has become a status god. That’s why all those young couples on house-hunting shows adamantly shake their heads when they walk into an otherwise charming fixer-upper and say ‘No way. I want stainless.’ “

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