Cliffs in driver's seat on road to Ring of Fire: minister
Other mining companies eager to be active participants in development too
Mining minister Rick Bartolucci says Cliffs Natural Resources will take the lead on figuring how the road to the Ring of Fire is built and financed.
"Through discussions with Cliffs, [the company] determined that the north-south corridor was the corridor of choice for them and so that discussion took place and the determination was made," Bartolucci said during a visit to Thunder Bay this week.
And Bartolucci said the American company is driving the discussion as plans for the road move forward.
"Once the agreement is finalized, then obviously the parametres of the agreement will be made public," Bartolucci said.
That leaves other mining companies working in the area waiting to have their questions answered.
"What standard would [the road] be built to," asked Wes Hanson, president of Noront Resources. "How much [is it] going to cost?"
'Profound impact for opportunities for other companies'
Noront is planning a nickel mine in the Ring of Fire. It originally proposed an east-west transportation route to move its ore, but has changed direction now that the province is backing Cliffs preferred north-south route.
Hanson didn't attend Bartolucci's speech in Thunder Bay on Tuesday. But Glenn Nolan, Noront Resources’ aboriginal liaison officer, did.
He said Cliffs is also getting most of the attention from the province when it comes to engaging First Nations.
"It really has a profound impact for the opportunities for the other companies working in the area, not just the one that is always mentioned," Nolan said, referring to Cliffs.
The planned Noront mine would employ 450 people — the same as Cliffs.
Nolan, who is also the president of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, said he'd like to see the province run educational sessions in First Nations so communities are better prepared to work with mining companies.
"What I've heard from the various communities is that it's not enough, [and] there needs to be more dialogue between the government and the various communities."
Another company working in the Ring of Fire, KWG, is currently challenging Cliffs' right to develop a road in a case before Ontario's Mining and Lands Commissioner.
KWG staked the proposed transportation corridor with mining claims several years ago with the hope of developing a rail line to the Ring of Fire. It's arguing it maintains rights to the area it staked.