Northern Ontario cities make final bids to host Ring of Fire smelter

It's the last chance for four northern Ontario cities all hoping to host Noront Resources' ferrochrome smelter.

Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and Thunder Bay are each submitting their respective final bids for the billion dollar facility, which will process chromite from the Ring of Fire mining development.

On Thursday, the City of Greater Sudbury announced it selected the former Inco Coniston Smelter site as the ideal location for the ferrochrome smelter.

Sudbury says it has strong bid

Liam McGill, manager of investment and business development for Sudbury, says the city has a number of strengths, including existing talent and infrastructure, and a strategic location that's close to main railway lines.

He also points to the city's commitment to sustainable resource development.

"Sudbury is one of the few places in the world that has managed to shrink its environmental footprint, while at the same time growing its economic output," McGill says.

McGill adds that Sudbury's bid has the support of nearby Atikameksheng Anishnawbek and Wahnapitae First Nations.

"The nature of the mining industry has been evolving over the last few years and the importance of working in collaboration with Indigenous communities has become vital to the development of the industry," he said.

The city estimates the facility would create about 350 permanent jobs and 150 indirect jobs in the community.

Sault Ste. Marie 'motivated,' says MPP

But Sault Ste. Marie MPP Ross Romano says his city needs the smelter more than Sudbury, which receives more provincial investment.

"I'd say the greatest thing we have here in Sault Ste. Marie is a community that wants Noront," he says.

"We are very motivated to have them in the Sault. Something we have craved in our community is good paying jobs, such as this, for some time."

Romano feels the railway links and existing steel industry infrastructure makes the city the natural choice for the smelter.

Sault Ste. Marie wants to build the smelter on the grounds of the Algoma steel mill, while Timmins is showcasing the former Kidd Creek Metallurgical site. Thunder Bay is partnering with the nearby Fort William First Nation on its bid.

Smelter not a gaurantee

Production at the facility could begin within five to 10 years. Noront is expected to pick a smelter site later this year, but there is no guarantee that it will become a reality.

Sudbury won a bidding war for the same smelter back 2012, when a company called Cliffs Natural Resources owned the chromite deposit, but the project didn't move forward.

There's a chance the upcoming provincial election could also play a role.

Romano doesn't believe the party that forms government after the election will determine where the smelter is built, but he wonders if what he sees as stalling by the Liberals will be a factor.

"There has been a real failure to act," he says.

"Whether or not that's going to factor into the decision as to where the ferrochrome facility should go is a question for the executives at Noront, and not for me."