Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery – Page 141

Province must cut [Ring of Fire refinery] hydro rates, says Clement – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – December 14, 2011)

December 14, 2011

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

The federal government has a role to play to make sure the Ring of Fire is developed and that it creates jobs in the North, says FedNor Minister Tony Clement. But, if those jobs are to remain in Ontario, Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty and his government will have to do something about electricity rates, said Clement.

Clement has struck a committee to stay up to date with developments in the massive chromite deposits, to make sure the economic potential of the area is maximized.

But Clement said Monday that while he favours processing jobs remaining in Northern Ontario, the high cost of electricity could be a problem.

“(That) is firmly in the hands of (Premier) Dalton McGuinty and the Liberal government, so they’ve got to step up,” said Clement.

Environmental assessment process continues for mining project – by Northwest Bureau (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – December 10, 2011)

November 3, 2015December 10, 2011

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

Noront Resources Ltd. is working on the environmental assessment process for its base-metal mining project in the Ring of Fire mining district.

The company released its draft terms of reference for the Eagle’s Nest Mine project last week and is seeking public input on its plans.

The draft terms of reference have been prepared by Noront in compliance with Ontario Ministry of the Environment requirements. The document is available for review by the public, and copies can be downloaded at www.norontresources.com, or www.eaglesnestmine.com.

The federal government’s environmental assessment process for the project is also moving along, and the draft environmental impact statement guidelines for the Eagle’s Nest Mine Project have also been released for public review.

NEWS RELEASE: GRAVELLE CITES THE ‘GOOD AND BAD’ IN FOREIGN OWNERSHIP, TAKEOVERS OF MINES

December 8, 2011

Claude Gravelle in the federal NDP Member of Parliament for the riding of Nickel Belt. http://claudegravelle.ndp.ca/

2011 12 08

Public disclosure, full reviews needed for takeovers and Ring of Fire project

OTTAWA, ON – At a Parliament study hearing on northern resources Wednesday, Nickel Belt MP Claude Gravelle used the appearance of a Northeastern Ontario group to raise the “good and bad” of foreign ownership and takeovers of mining companies and the giant chromite “Ring of Fire” project.

Citing this week’s news on a Polish firm takeover bid of Quadra FNX, Gravelle acknowledged foreign ownership sometimes will happen but Canada’s record has not been good on takeovers.

“Contrary to what some people will tend to make you believe, the NDP is not against foreign ownership, but we are against foreign takeovers,” Gravelle said. “I have three private member’s bills that would make foreign takeovers more transparent, would involve the communities, and would involve workers.”

Far North mischief – by Stan Sudol (National Post – December 7, 2011)

November 5, 2015December 7, 2011

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.

Is Ontario’s Far North Act anti-aboriginal?

De Beers Canada and its Victor diamond mine is currently in the media spotlight regarding the poverty in the nearby First Nations community of Attawapiskat. Many are questioning why the community is not significantly benefiting from this diamond mine, located on its traditional territory. The Victor deposit — which is the smallest of Canada’s four diamond mines — just started production in July 2008 and has an expected life of 11 years. The mine employs about 500 people, half of whom are of First Nations background and 100 come from Attawapiskat.

This controversy highlights the widespread problem of aboriginal poverty, much of which lies at the feet of Premier Dalton McGuinty, environmentalism and the product of this marriage — the much-detested Far North Act. Praised by the south’s many well-funded and powerful environmental movements, this legislation cuts off half of the Far North to resource development — 225,000 square kilometres or roughly 21% of the province’s land mass — and turns it into parks.

The horrific downside to this green ideology is that mineral exploration and potential mines — the only form of economic development that could reduce the impoverished, Third World living conditions in First Nations communities — is being reduced or stopped in the affected territory.

Plan sparks Ring of Fire ire – by Ryan Lux (Timmins Daily Press – December 5, 2011)

December 5, 2011

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

Process it here or leave it in the ground, union demands

Cliffs Natural Resources’ pledge to seek an exemption from the Ontario Mining Act to ship chromite concentrate from Ontario’s Ring of Fire to Asia for processing has raised the ire of unions and municipalities representing the North.

The company claims the raw chromite ore will undergo value-added processing in Ontario where it will be transformed into chromite concentrate. However, critics say the ore should either be refined in Ontario or left in the ground.

William Brehl, the head of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Maintenance of Way Employees, said the government risks squandering the economic potential of the Northern Ontario mineral bonanza.

“Premier Dalton McGuinty’s government has called the Ring of Fire the most promising mining opportunity in Canada in a century,” said Brehl.

Thunder Bay makes Ring of Fire smelter pitch – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – December 2011)

December 4, 2011

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.

City delegation meets with Cliffs decision makers

Thunder Bay was making its best sales pitch in November to convince Cliffs Natural Resources to build its ferrochrome processing plant on the shore of this northwestern Ontario port city.

A delegation led by Mayor Keith Hobbs had scheduled a mid-month trip to the international miner’s Cleveland headquarters during the same week that company’s executives were staging public open houses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury.

Though Sudbury is considered a frontrunner among four potential Northern Ontraio communities to land the electric arc furnaces to process ore from its James Bay chromite deposit, Thunder Bay has no intentions of giving up the ship.

John Mason, the city’s mining services project manager, concedes Sudbury does have direct rail access to a vital rail junction at Nakina and offers an “excellent” brownfield site north of the city, at Capreol, but Thunder Bay has put together an enticing package.

Elephant In the Room: A First Nations perspective on the Far North Act – Stan Beardy (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – December 3, 2011)

December 3, 2011December 3, 2011

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

Stan Beardy is Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN). NAN is a political organization representing 49 First Nation communities across Treaty 9 and Treaty 5 areas of northern Ontario.

“The heart of First Nations’ objections to the [Far North] act
is the unilateral imposition of an interconnected protected
area of at least 225,000 square kilometres (about 21 per
cent of Ontario). This infringes on First Nations’
aboriginal and treaty rights as protected in the Canada
Constitution Act, 1982.” (Stan Beardy – Grand Chief of NAN)

Stan Beardy – Grand Chief of NAN

I am writing in response to the commentary, Development, Protection; Far North Act Clarifies Land Use Planning (Nov. 21) by Ontario Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle.

It appears the Ontario government feels that there is still much convincing to do on an issue that continues to find First Nations and government on opposing sides. Truth be known, the Far North Act is currently being implemented in spite of the objections of First Nations.

The heart of First Nations’ objections to the act is the unilateral imposition of an interconnected protected area of at least 225,000 square kilometres (about 21 per cent of Ontario). This infringes on First Nations’ aboriginal and treaty rights as protected in the Canada Constitution Act, 1982.

The minister said in his commentary that “those who characterize this protected area as a vast park are irresponsible and certainly disrespectful of the First Nations.”

Ring of Fire – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – December, 2011)

December 2, 2011

“How many more trillion-dollar Sudbury Basins are up
there waiting to be discovered?” Sudol said Queen’s
Park must partner with Ottawa to build a Far North
railroad, road network and transmission lines. “This
financial investment would generate tens of thousands
of jobs in both the North and the struggling south as
well as contribute badly needed tax revenue.” (Mining
Analyst Stan Sudol – RepublicOfMining.com)

All eyes on Cliffs Natural Resources to advance Far North deposit

It’s a real cliffhanger. Anyone with a stake in the Far North’s Ring of Fire is waiting on Cliffs Natural Resources to formally give the greenlight to develop its Black Thor chromite deposit in the James Bay lowlands.

Aside from petitioning for more competitive power rates in Ontario, the Cleveland, Ohio-headquartered international miner has been careful not to expand upon this pan-Northern mine, mill, transportation and refining project beyond its base case released last spring.

Until Cliffs decides to move the project into a full-blown feasibility study, the drama and suspense will continue. While the multi-billion dollar, multi-generational project will be regional in scope, it hasn’t stopped the communities from doing some smokestack chasing to land the ferrochrome production.

Analysts leery of Cliffs’ threat – by Mike Whitehouse (Sudbury Star – December 2, 2011)

December 2, 2011December 2, 2011

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

“Ontario needs to help build the necessary key transportation
routes to develop the North’s enormous and strategic mineral
potential. …These include a railway to the Ring of Fire mining
camp and all-weather highways to replace winter ice roads to
isolated aboriginal communities. The first priorities should
be regions with high mineral potential. The resulting economic
spinoffs throughout the entire province and increased tax
revenues will more than justify these public investments.”
(Mining Analyst Stan Sudol – RepublicOfMining.com)

The threat of taking its concentrate to Asia for processing will be legally difficult for Cliffs Natural Resources and may, in the end, prove only to be a negotiating ploy, mining analysts say.

Cliffs Natural Resources has announced plans to ship chromite concentrate from the Ring of Fire area in Northern Ontario to international markets, primarily China, to capitalize on the growing smelting capacity and booming demand for strategic metals in Asia.

Although still planning to build a smelter somewhere in Ontario — possibly in Sudbury — company officials have said demand from Chinese smelters will drive volumes for the concentrate, making its export economically viable.

Ring of Fire exemption vital for jobs – by Brian MacLeod (Sudbury Star – December 1, 2011)

December 1, 2011December 1, 2011

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

Ontario has an unenviable record of shipping natural resources out of the country, where they’re used for finished products. The issue has again appeared on the Ontario legislature’s radar screen and it could be trouble for the Liberals, since job creation is at the centre of that screen at the moment.

Ohio-based Cliffs Natural Resources plans to develop the massive Ring of Fire in Northern Ontario.

Loaded with chromite–which is used to make stainless steel–nickel, copper and gold, the 5,120-square-kilometre deposit sits in an isolated landscape about a two-hour flight northeast of Thunder Bay. Cliffs wants to begin production at its Black Thor mine by 2015–if it gets past legal objections to the environmental assessment process from area First Nations.

Cliffs plans to build a processing facility to produce concentrate near the mine, as well as a ferrochrome smelter–possibly in Sudbury –if it can get a favourable deal on electricity rates, which are much lower in Manitoba and Quebec.

[Cliffs Natural Resources] U.S. mining giant looks to Asia to process Ring of Fire chromite – by Tanya Talaga (Toronto Star – December 1, 2011)

December 1, 2011

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

A U.S. international mining firm may seek permission from the Ontario government to process some of the precious ore it hauls out of the Ring of Fire to Asia.

Cliffs Natural Resources, an Ohio-based mining giant, is preparing to extract what is estimated to be one of the world’s largest chromite discoveries in an ecologically sensitive part of northern Ontario, about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. The deposit is estimated to be worth $30 billion. International mining companies have staked 9,000 claims covering 480,000 hectares.

Most of the chromite will be processed and refined at plants in northern Ontario, but the company says some of the concentrate could be shipped offshore to Asia. Cliffs is proposing a ferrochrome production facility with an annual capacity of approximately 600,000 tonnes, said Pat Persico, Cliffs senior manager of global communications.

Webequie says its still open for Ring of Fire business – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – November 24, 2011)

November 26, 2011

This video was posted on You Tube by the Matawa First Nations on November 7, 2011. It is about the Ring Of Fire development and effects on the communities of the Matawa First Nations in Northwestern Ontario. While this You Tube posting is not connected to the Webequie article, it does provide some background content and puts the recent Matawa political opposition to the Ring of Fire in perspective. – Stan Sudol

Wawatay News is Northern Ontario’s First Nation Voice with offices in Sioux Lookout, Timmins and Thunder Bay.

Rifts in the Matawa First Nations’ opposition to mining in the Ring of Fire were on display Nov. 23 as Webequie First Nation held a press conference to announce that Matawa does not speak for the people the community.

Webequie Chief Cornelius Wabasse presented a community position statement calling for companies interested in developing the Ring of Fire to negotiate directly with the community, not through organizations such as Matawa.

“Matawa Tribal Council is not a decision-making authority for Webequie First Nation, Wabasse said. “Webequie will determine our own community-led process to guide industry, government and commercial groups through the process of working collaboratively.”

Study of second proposed Ring of Fire mine underway – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – November 18, 2011)

November 26, 2011

Wawatay News is Northern Ontario’s First Nation Voice with offices in Sioux Lookout, Timmins and Thunder Bay.

As the controversy over the environmental study of a proposed Ring of Fire mine drags on, another proposed mine in the Ring of Fire has started a similar environmental assessment process. The environmental assessment for Noront Resources’ proposed Eagles Nest mine kicked off Nov. 15 with the opening of a 30-day public comment period.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) decided to do a comprehensive study, the same process chosen for Cliffs Natural Resources’ proposed chromite mine.

CEAA spokesperson Celine Legault said that the agency determined there was no need for the Noront project to be subjected to a more intensive Joint Review Panel (JRP) assessment. “At any time during the study the (federal) minister of environment can refer the assessment to a Joint Review Panel,” Legault said.