(Greenstone, May 9, 2012) Mayor Renald Beaulieu of Greenstone, the closest municipality to the Ring of Fire mineral find, was underwhelmed by today’s announcement from Cliffs Natural Resources to locate the chromite refinery near Sudbury.
“It is truly unfortunate that Cliffs and the Provincial Government chose not to meaningfully consult with the directly affected First Nations and Greenstone prior to making and announcing their decision,” stated Mayor Beaulieu.
Important questions remain unanswered by Cliffs and the Province said Beaulieu. In particular, it’s hard to see how you can lead with a decision on a refinery location without an agreement on how you are going to obtain the ore body in the first place.
– Why are First Nation interests being ignored? Today’s update confirms the suspicion of First Nations that a secret deal has been worked out between the Government of Ontario and Cliffs. That deal doesn’t place any value on the support First Nations have offered for the project nor does it take their position on the mining activity seriously.