http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/
Northern Ontario mining negotiations a chance to ‘do development differently’
Former Liberal MP Bob Rae said negotiations between Ontario and First Nations over mining in the Ring of Fire region are off to a good start and mark an opportunity to “do development differently.”
Rae was named chief negotiator for the Matawa Tribal Council, representing nine First Nations communities in northern Ontario, in May while he was still the MP for Toronto Centre. In mid-June he announced he was quitting politics in order to focus on the Ring of Fire job.
The Ring of Fire area, about 540 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, has one of North America’s biggest deposits of chromite, used in stainless steel. It’s also rich in nickel, copper and platinum. The federal government estimates the mineral content is worth $30 billion to $50 billion and will create up to 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.