http://www.cbc.ca/thunderbay/
Thunder Bay mayor, First Nations leaders weigh in on Cliffs Natural Resources decision to located chromite smelter in Sudbury
Reaction in Thunder Bay to Cliffs Natural Resources announcement that it will locate its ferrochrome smelter in the Sudbury area is one of disappointment.
Mayor Keith Hobbs said “it was like coming to a funeral,” when he attended a press conference Wednesday morning where he learned the mining company would process the chromite from its Ring of Fire mining project in Sudbury.
Natural Resources minister Michael Gravelle said northwestern Ontario would benefit from the project, and spoke about the number of overall jobs that would be created and how the northwest would play a role in the Ring of Fire development.
But that didn’t ease the concerns of municipal and First Nations leaders in the room. According to Thunder Bay CBC News reporter Jeff Walters, Hobbs said consultation between the minister and Cliffs obviously didn’t happen. Hobbs said there was a lack of leadership, adding he was disappointed in Gravelle — and refused to shake his hand.