(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. Read the rest of this entry »
Ottawa, May 9, 2012. In paired press releases the Ontario Government and U.S. mining company Cliffs Natural Resources today announced plans to proceed with the next step in the development of a chromite deposit in the area dubbed the “Ring of Fire”. The remote area of northern Ontario and the various access routes to it are in the traditional territories of several Ojibway, Oji-Cree, and Cree First Nations.
The announcements confirmed earlier indications that Sudbury could be the location of a proposed ferrochrome processing facility and that Cliffs’ proposed transportation corridor, known as the North-South Route could be developed to link the mine to the existing road and rail systems to the south. This transportation route is competing with another that would make greater use of existing roads and is being proposed by Noront Resources. Each route has its supporters among various First Nations in the area. Northern municipalities and First Nations have also suggested alternative locations for the processing plant.
If the mineral resources of the Ring of Fire are to be developed, value added processing done in Ontario – in accordance with Section 91 of the Mining Act – is certainly in the best interest of the province. Value added processing of mined minerals can greatly increase employment and taxation opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
The proposed Northern Gateway pipeline appears locked on a collision course, as First Nations chiefs put Enbridge officials on notice again that they won’t budge from their opposition.
“We are a very patient people,” warned Chief Na’moks of the Wet-suwet’en nation, near Smithers, B.C., at Enbridge’s annual general meeting in Toronto on Wednesday.
“We don’t base the wellbeing of life on money,” said April Churchill, vice-president of the Haida Nation. “Money will not change our minds. “There is no compensation that is acceptable that will kill off cultures and kill off people.”
First Nations leaders have repeatedly sent their message to Enbridge officials, and they travelled thousands of kilometres from British Columbia by train, to make their point again in Toronto. Read the rest of this entry »
The region’s First Nations and municipal leaders are frustrated and disappointed by a lack of planning from the province and Cliff’s Natural Resources on the Ring of Fire.
In the wake of an announcement Wednesday morning that Cliff’s will set up their ferrochrome processor in Capreol, near Sudbury, leaders from across Northwestern Ontario sounded off on the province’s lack of commitment and consultation with the region.
“It was a great day for Northeastern Ontario. It was a very sad day for Northwestern Ontario I can’t say it any plainer than that,” Thunder Bay mayor Keith Hobbs said.
Natural Resources minister Michael Gravelle and Aboriginal Affairs minister Kathleen Wynne faced a cold reception from regional leaders when they announced Cliff’s $3.3 billion investment to build its chromite mine, North-South all-season road from the Ring of Fire and processing facility. Read the rest of this entry »
The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
Sudbury will be the home of a $1.8-billion ferrochrome processing plant to be built by Cliffs Natural Resources, but all of Northern Ontario is “poised to reap the benefits” of the company’s development of the Ring of Fire, says Rick Bartolucci.
Cliffs announced Wednesday morning that its board of directors has moved its proposed chromite project from the pre-feasibility to the feasibility stage.
At the same time, Northern Development and Mines Minister Bartolucci announced in Sudbury that the coveted smelter to process chromite ore mined and concentrated in the northwest will be built near Capreol by 2015.
Chromite is a key component in the manufacture of stainless steel, a product we need for our “day-to-day lives,” Bartolucci told about 75 people at a news conference at the Willet Green Miller Centre at Laurentian University. About 450 jobs will be created in the construction phase and 450 in the production phase of the smelter. Read the rest of this entry »
The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
The smelter coming to Greater Sudbury is the largest project Cliffs Natural Resources has ever conceived. “It’s a massive project for Cliffs, it’s the biggest project by far that we have ever tackled,” Cliffs’ President Joseph Carrabba said Wednesday evening at Laurentian University.
Carrabba was in Sudbury for a few hours, following Wednesday morning’s announcement that its $1.8-billion ferrochrome smelter will set up shop near Capreol.
The Municipality of Greenstone, Thunder Bay and Timmins were also considered as locations for the smelter. But in the end, Greater Sudbury was just what Cliffs was looking for.
“We had to be in a place where mining is known, it’s welcomed and we can work through the business practices,” said Carrabba. “It looks like it’s a great place for the technical skills, the mine service skills that we need and a great opportunity for a great workforce as well … this was the right spot and we are very pleased to be here.” Read the rest of this entry »
The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.
Seeking to get in on a resource boom that to this point has passed it by, Ontario has taken a major step toward developing the mineral-rich “Ring of Fire” in the province’s far north.
Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci announced Wednesday that the government has reached a framework agreement with the U.S.-based Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. for a $3.3-billion investment, including a $1.8-billion smelting plant in the Sudbury area.
But despite the buoyant tone from both sides of the deal, sources in and around government acknowledge Mr. Bartolucci’s target date of 2015 is highly optimistic. That’s because there remain a great number of hurdles to be overcome before much-needed jobs can be created from extraction or processing of chromite, a key ingredient used to make stainless steel. Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
TORONTO, May 9, 2012 /CNW/ - The United Steelworkers union (USW) welcomes today’s announcement by Cliffs Natural Resources that they will be constructing a new smelter in Sudbury, Ontario.
“This project and its spin-offs will provide a much-needed boost to the hard-working families of Sudbury and Northern Ontario,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard.
“Thousands of jobs will be created during development of the Sudbury smelter, the chromite mine and concentrating plant in northwestern Ontario and all the related infrastructure,” Gerard said. “Once operations begin, hundreds of family-supporting jobs will be maintained in the North for many years.”
“Today’s announcement will bring jobs and economic benefits to Northern Ontario, and that must include First Nations communities,” noted Ken Neumann, USW National Director for Canada. Read the rest of this entry »
THUNDER BAY, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) said today’s announcement to build a $1.8-billion chromite processing facility near Sudbury and ignoring First Nations is not the way to build a relationship with the First Nations.
“I am disappointed with today’s announcement as it is obvious that Cliffs and the Government of Ontario are not listening to and not respecting First Nations affected by development in the Ring of Fire,” said NAN Deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose.
“The affected First Nations have put forward comprehensive proposals and are trying to work with government on a constructive basis to play a major role in the development of the Ring of Fire. This is a classic case of moving forward without First Nation consultation again. We are not starting off on the right foot.”
Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kathleen Wynne made the announcement at a news conference in Thunder Bay today announcing that Cliffs Natural Resources intends to build a $1.8-billion chromite processing facility in Capreol, near Sudbury, instead of Greenstone near Aroland First Nation. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
The suspense is over. Cliffs Natural Resources has announced it will build its $1.85-billion chromite processing facility, which will process chromite ore from its Ring of Fire project, near the town of Capreol, located north of Sudbury.
The smelter, which is expected to produce between 1,250 and 1,750 tonnes of chromite per day, is expected to create 450 jobs during construction, an additional 400 jobs to operate the facility and hundreds more spinoff employment opportunities in Sudbury and across the North.
Situated at the former Moose Mine site, the smelter will process chromite into ferrochrome, a component used in the production of stainless steel. The Ring of Fire, located 500 km north of Thunder Bay, is the only substantial deposit of chromite in North America and is expected to yield 2.3 million tonnes of chromite per year over a 30-year mine life.
Northern Development Minister Rick Bartolucci made the announcement in Sudbury May 9. Calling it an “exciting and historic” announcement for the region, Bartolucci said Cliffs chose Sudbury for its smelter because of the city’s experience in mineral exploration, mineral production and mine financing, along with its skilled workforce, training programs and environmental stewardship. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
An American firm is expected to sink $3.3 billion into developing the resource-rich Ring of Fire, the Ontario government announced Monday.
Cliffs Natural Resources, an international mining company based in Cleveland, will use the money to haul and process chromite — the key ingredient used to make stainless steel — out of the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
The Ring of Fire, located 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, is said to contain one of the world’s largest chromite deposits. International mining companies have staked nearly 9,000 claims in the ring and both the federal and provincial government wants to hasten development of the area to bring much needed jobs to the struggling north.
The ring is a 5,000-square-kilometre area of pristine wilderness that is also one of the world’s last untouched ecosystems. Ontario has been locked in a battle with Quebec to keep Cliffs’ smelter plant located here in the province. High hydro rates in Ontario have been a major stumbling block. Read the rest of this entry »
This article came from Northern Life, Sudbury’s biweekly newspaper.
All rumours about where Cliffs Natural Resources will build its chromite processing plant have been laid to rest.
Cliffs has made public its intentions to build its $1.8-billion chromite processing facility north of Capreol. The Cleveland, Ohio-based company has selected the former Moose Mountain Mine site, located 21 kilometres north of Capreol, as it moves from a prefeasibility stage to feasibility, which takes the company to a more detailed analysis of the project.
An agreement in principle between the province and Cliffs has been reached, Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, said. This agreement sets the framework for the project. A formal agreement is expected to be finalized within months.
The project will employ 450 people during construction, and as many as 450 people when the facility is operational in 2015. Mine and mill development, as well as the construction and operation of transportation infrastructure, could create an additional 750 jobs, plus hundreds of indirect employment opportunities for northern Ontarians and First Nations communities. The smelter would be used to process ore from Cliffs Natural Resources chromite mine located in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire. Read the rest of this entry »
Toronto-based Business News Network (BNN) is a Canadian cable television specialty channel owned by CTVglobalmedia. BNN airs business and financial programming and analysis.
BNN reporter Andrew Bell hosts the Commodities program. From aluminum to zinc and everything in between, every Tuesday through Thursday, BNN highlights the hot world of commodities and the companies that produce them, including interviews with mineral and mining entrepreneurs from Canada and around the globe.
New chromite mine for northern Ontario
BNN Reporter Andrew Bell talks to Cliffs Natural Resouces Senior VP, Global Ferroalloys, Bill Boor about the company’s progress in building a new chromite mine in northern Ontario and the decision to locate the proposed ferrochrome smelter in Sudbury.
QUEEN’S PARK – In response to Minister Rick Bartolucci’s announcement that Cliff’s Natural Resources will be building a chromite processing facility near Sudbury, Northern Development and Mines Critic Norm Miller warned against celebrating too soon.
“I am pleased to see Cliff’s selecting a location in Ontario for their new smelter,” Miller explained. “However, I’m more interested in what the Minister didn’t say. I am suspicious of good news presented in vague terms.”
“There was no First Nations participation in the announcement, and no testimony from First Nations leaders anywhere in the Ministry’s materials. Aroland First Nation has already come out in opposition to the announcement. This suggests to me that very little progress has been made on this front, and much difficult negotiation still lies ahead.”
Bartolucci announced plans to begin discussions on a new all-season road to the mining sites, but offered no details as to who would build, finance, or own the road. He expressed a hope that the federal government would make contributions, but no federal representative attended the announcement. Read the rest of this entry »
