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

A decision by the provincial government will determine the fate of Wolf Lake Forest Reserve for the next two decades, a group dedicated to protecting the area says.

Members of the Wolf Lake Coalition gathered at Memorial Park in downtown Sudbury on Wednesday to make the case for why more of Wolf Lake should be turned into parkland, and to release a report detailing why the area needs to be protected.

“We’re at a key time in terms of being two weeks away from a decision that the Ontario government will make, which will either open the way for full protection as a park or block that for another 21 years,” said Beth Mairs, a member of the Wolf Lake group and the Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury.

On May 31, a mining lease in the forest is set to expire. The group is urging the government to end the lease, rather than renew it for another 21 years. The Mike Harris government made a promise in 1999 that once a mining lease or claim lapses in the Wolf Lake area, the land in question becomes parkland and will be added to the Chiniguchi Waterway Provincial Park, in Greater Sudbury north of Lake Wahnapitae. Read the rest of this entry »

http://netnewsledger.com/

QUEEN’S PARK – LEADER’S LEDGER – Last week Cliffs Natural Resources announced its plans to locate a chromite smelter, which will be used to process raw ore from the Ring of Fire, in Sudbury.

While many are disappointed that the smelter, and 450 potential jobs, will be located in Sudbury, Cliffs Natural Resources is a privately owned company and the decision, with its estimated $1.8 billion price tag, is theirs to make.

That said, I have concerns with the way this process was handled by the provincial government, not only in its failure to involve regional leaders but also in the fact that there appears to be many side deals that have been made but not announced.

The fact is, the government needs to be the party facilitating a cooperative approach, to ensure the potential of the Ring of Fire project is maximized. By leaving community leaders out of the first stage of planning, and making decisions without them, they risk making the wrong decisions.

While the only firm commitment that has been announced is the location of the smelter, the fact that this decision was made in the backroom leaves us to guess as to what other promises have been made. Read the rest of this entry »

http://netnewsledger.com/
 
THUNDER BAY – Editorial – Will the Ring of Fire lead to a new Northwestern Ontario territory? In the Ontario Legislature on Tuesday the issue of mining and the Ring of Fire was discussed. Sarah Campbell went so far as to state in the legislature, “This government must start representing our needs and interests today; otherwise, its not just Cliffs that will receive an eviction notice from the northwest, it will be the government of Ontario”.

This is the first time in recent memory that the subject of Northwestern Ontario as a separate political entity from the rest of Ontario has been raised.

It demonstrates the degree of frustration and the depth of growing anger over how the McGuinty government is treating the region.

Campbell stated in a members statement read in Queen’s Park, “While Cliffs made a business decision to process northwestern Ontario resources in northeastern Ontario, which is its right, this government has no excuse for failing in its duty to involve northerners in the process. While the government is silent on many details, it is clear that this government has made commitments without involving municipal leaders or First Nations. Read the rest of this entry »

http://netnewsledger.com/

THUNDER BAY – The legal team for the Neskantaga First Nation have communicated to the McGuinty Government through Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Rick Bartolucci over what the First Nation is saying is a lack of consultation.

“The Neskantaga, along with the other Matawa First Nations, is in litigation in respect to the Cliffs’ project, and the need for a full Joint Panel Review. Neskantaga has indicated to your Ministry and your officials a desire to negotiate a proper regional environmental assessment process that would harmonize Federal, provincial and First Nation reviews”.

“Further, your Ministry and the project proponent, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. have been well aware that the proposed project and its related infrastructure will have significant adverse impacts on the Neskantaga lands, culture and aboriginal interests. Despite this knowledge, Ontario has proceeded with discussions with the proponent and other First Nations to the exclusion of Neskantaga. We are now advised that your Ministry has announced that Ontario intends to proceed with this project, and to provide funding to the proponent for infrastructure without having fulfilled the duty of consultation and many other First Nations directly affected” Read the rest of this entry »

http://www.cbc.ca/thunderbay/

An American company planning to invest $3.3 billion on a Northern Ontario mine and processing plant has waded into the latest front in a countrywide battle over environmental issues and aboriginal rights, a mining consultant says.
 
Lawyer and mining industry strategist Bill Gallagher said Ontario should have foreseen the confrontation brewing over land use in the province’s mineral-rich Ring of Fire region in the James Bay Lowlands.

The province announced last week that it reached an agreement in principle with Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources to build a chromite mine in the area about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, a road there and a processing facility near Sudbury.
 
But lawyers for the Neskantaga First Nation say the province may have broken the law by signing deals with Cliffs before consulting First Nations. In a letter written last week, solicitor Gregory McDade exhorts the province to “take no further steps to support this project until full discussion has been held with northern First Nations.”
 
Neskantaga Chief Peter Moonias added that without thorough consultation on environmental and other issues, Cliffs would have to “kill me first” before accessing its mine site. Read the rest of this entry »

This article was provided by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), an organization that was established in 1920 to represent the mining industry of the province.

Ontario Association Member Cliffs Natural Resources has announced intentions to invest $3.3 billion to develop a chromite mine in the Ring of Fire area, a transportation corridor and a processing plant in Northern Ontario.  This could lead to more than 1,200 direct jobs over the anticipated 30 year life of the mine.

“Cliffs is pleased to be moving forward the proposed development of a mine in the Ring of Fire and a processing facility near Sudbury,” said Bill Boor, Senior Vice President Global Ferroalloys for Cliffs Natural Resources, based in Cleveland.  “These milestones bring us closer to opening the mine and starting production to meet the global demand for stainless steel.”

“Ontario is blessed with an abundance of natural resources at a time in history when the world is developing faster than ever and demanding these resources,” said Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Northern Development and Mines and MPP for Sudbury.  “We are taking advantage of this incredible opportunity in the Ring of Fire to further open up Northern Ontario by bringing thousands of jobs, new infrastructure and economic opportunities to cities, towns and First Nations communities.”

The Ring of Fire is a mineral rich and somewhat isolated area of Northern Ontario located about 540 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.  Read the rest of this entry »

Vancouver, Canada, May 15, 2012 – KGHM International Ltd., formerly Quadra FNX Mining Ltd. (the “Company” or “KGHM International”), today announced that it will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results for the first quarter of 2012 on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 9 a.m. PT, 12:00 noon ET, 6:00 p.m. CEST. The financial statements and the MD&A will be available at www.kghminternational.com as of May 15, 2012.

The North American toll free number for this conference call is 1-866-226-1793 and the international number is 1-416-340-2218. The Company requests that participants dial into the call at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. A PowerPoint slide presentation will be posted on the web site, by end of day on Wednesday, May 16, 2012.

The playback version of the conference call will be available until May 24, 2012 at 1-905-694-9451 or North American toll free 1-800-408-3053 and using the pass code: 7115552.

The Company today also announced that effective June 1, 2012, Derek White, currently the Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, will become the President of KGHM International Ltd. Read the rest of this entry »

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

All of Northern Ontario must benefit from plans to build a chromite mine and smelter says a group representing the North’s municipal leaders.

“We are pleased that a decision has been made concerning one of the jewels of the North,” Alan Spacek, president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities, said in a release Tuesday.

“In a deal as big as this, the ‘devil is in the details.’ We want all communities to benefit from this mammoth find — First Nations, adjacent communities and communities right across the North.”

Last week, Cliffs Natural Resources said pending further studies, it would spend $3 billion to build a chromite mine in the Ring of Fire region of northwestern Ontario and ship the ore to be processed at a smelter in Capreol. Chromite is used to harden stainless steel, a key building component. Read the rest of this entry »

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

Provincial support of a north-south corridor for Ring of Fire mining resources has Noront Resources officials shaking their heads. “Right now we’re trying to get some clarity as to what that means,” company spokesman Paul Semple said Saturday.

Cliffs Natural Resources announced Wednesday that it would build a ferrochrome smelter near Sudbury, and that ore would be trucked south from the mine site along a $600-million all-weather road to Nakina. The provincial government said discussions would begin soon on the proposed road to run south from the Ring of Fire.

Noront’s preferred route for transporting base metals and other minerals from its Eagle’s Nest mining project is an east-west link with Pickle Lake and CN Railway in Savant Lake. It had the support of at least four First Nations in the north.

“We don’t know yet if that will affect our plans, or what. We’re trying to get a clearer picture of what it means,” Semple said. Read the rest of this entry »

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

WITH all the attention being given to the proposed Black Thor chromite mine there is a tendency to overlook the many other mining projects — existing and planned — throughout Northern Ontario. Cliffs Natural Resources’ project will surely be the biggest and the awarding of its processing plant to Sudbury set off a wave of discontent in competing communities here in the Northwest. In Thunder Bay, at least, it didn’t last long. One day after the dust settled on Cliffs’ decision, Thunder Bay and a group of partners launched an initiative to ensure they are ready to service, and take advantage of the many spinoffs from mining activity in the Ring of Fire and beyond.

 The City of Thunder Bay is developing a Mining Readiness Strategy to place itself and its partners at the centre of consideration for one of Ontario’s largest economic development opportunities.

 Together with Fort William and other First Nations, its own economic development corporation, the province and others in the region, Thunder Bay wants to make sure all mining interests are aware of the potential to include these entities in their plans and count on their ability to partner in the North’s new mining boom. Read the rest of this entry »

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper and Brian MacLeod is the managing editor. brian.macleod@sunmedia.ca

When a mining project moves from pre-feasibility to the feasibility stage, it’s often done through a news release and follow-up interviews with the press. It’s a significant step, but not usually the whopper we saw this week when U.S. firm Cliffs Natural Resources made its announcement.

What made this one different is the size — $3.3 billion all told — and the announced location of a proposed $1.8-billion ferrochrome smelter in Sudbury to process material from the Ring of Fire chromite deposit in northwestern Ontario.

As well, Cliffs officials indicated they had come to an understanding with the province on the cost of power. And so we saw press conferences in Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Cleveland on Wednesday. While people in Greater Sudbury were happy, the Liberals took a beating elsewhere. Read the rest of this entry »

 http://www.wawataynews.ca/

First Nation leaders are threatening to pull support for mining in the Ring of Fire, after Cliffs Resources’ announced it plans to locate its chromite processing plant in Sudbury.
 
Cliffs announced on May 9 that the mining company will go ahead with the $3.3 billion Ring of Fire project, which includes the chromite mine east of Webequie, a transportation route running south from the mine site to connect to highway 17 near Aroland, and a ferrochrome processing plant in Sudbury.
 
The decision goes against the wishes of First Nations and municipal leaders in northwestern Ontario, who wanted to see the processing plant located in Greenstone.
 
“It’s obvious the province and Cliffs haven’t been listening to First Nations, and what their concerns and their aspirations are,” said Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose. “Today is a classic example of development going ahead without adequate consultation, input and consent from our First Nations.” Read the rest of this entry »

Founded in 1928, Canadian Business is the longest-publishing business magazine in Canada.

TORONTO – Ontario will likely give Cliffs Natural Resources an exemption from the Mining Act to process a large amount of the chromite it takes out of the Ring of Fire offshore, Premier Dalton McGuinty suggested Thursday.

The New Democrats want as much of the ore as possible smelted and refined in Ontario, and say more processing facilities should be built to make sure the jobs stay in the province as well.

Cliffs announced Wednesday it plans to invest $3.3 billion to develop a chromite mine in the far north, a transportation corridor and a $1.8-billion smelter near Sudbury.

In the legislature, the NDP released testimony from Cliffs’ vice-president Bill Boor before a Commons committee in February showing the company plans to export up to 40 per cent of the chromite offshore for processing into a key ingredient of stainless steel. 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. Ian Ross is the editor of Northern Ontario Business ianross@nob.on.ca.

Primed for the boom

When northwestern Ontario’s forest industry began taking a dive during the last decade, Grant Brodeur could see the writing on the wall. The CEO of Secure Store is now among more than 100 companies in the Thunder Bay area that have changed gears, restocked their parts rooms, and transitioned from catering exclusively to forestry over to the mining sector.
 
His company provides modular housing and logistical support for exploration and mining camp sites, serving clients such as Goldcorp-Musselwhite, Magma Metals and Osisko. Brodeur was displaying his services at the Northwestern Ontario Mines and Minerals Symposium in Thunder Bay in early April.
 
“Those skills are transferrable,” said Brodeur, who began working in Secure Store’s predecessor company, Broland Reforestation, as a tree planter. “Many of us have worked in fire suppression so we know emergency logistics and can set up in the middle of nowhere.” Read the rest of this entry »

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/

Regional business and political leaders continue to be disappointed by Cliffs’ decision to setup a processor in Sudbury, but say they look forward to other opportunities area mining could bring.

Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce president Harold Wilson said he shared a lot of the same concerns that First Nation and municipal leaders had Wednesday when Cliffs announced it would build a $1.8 billion ferrochrome processor near Sudbury.

He was also disappointed that the province made no announcements to coincide with the company’s $3.3 billion announcement that would also include an all-weather road north of Nakina.

“Show us where that’s going to be.  How is that going to link up to First Nations communities that can greatly benefit from that? How much are they (Ontario) investing into it and how can we turn that into other economic opportunities?” Wilson said. Read the rest of this entry »