Ring of Fire (Northern Ontario)
Spanning approximately 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi), the area is rich in chromite, nickel, copper, platinum group elements, gold, zinc, and other valuable minerals.Discovered in the early 21st century, the Ring of Fire is considered one of the most significant mineral deposits in Canada, with the potential to greatly impact the nation's economy and global mining industry.Marten Falls First Nations Chief Eli Moonias explained in 2010 that Noront Resources did not have "permits to construct landing strips on the string bog or roads to the nearby airstrip".[3] The Ring of Fire was named when the first significant mineral finds were made in the region, by Richard Nemis,[notes 3] after Johnny Cash's famous country and western ballad.[7] On 28 August 2007, Noront Resources announced the discovery of a "large find"[8] of "high grade deposit" of platinum, palladium, nickel, and copper[9][10] 500 kilometres (310 miles) northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario.[9][notes 4] To reduce heavy truck traffic, Noront is planning to build a buried 90 kilometres (56 miles)-long slurry pipeline, using new technology safety features, from the site to Webequie Junction.[9] Cliffs Natural Resources, of Cleveland, Ohio, originally had an "ambitious timetable for developing the Black Thor chromite deposit", hoping to complete permits and environmental assessment approvals by the end of 2013 (MRI).[15] In May 2012, Cliffs Natural Resources announced a "$3.3-billion investment to build a chromite mine, transportation corridor and processing facility in northern Ontario's Ring of Fire that would lead to a new generation of prosperity in the north, with thousands of jobs and new infrastructure"."[22] Toronto-based consultant, Stan Sudol, added that the government should “accelerate road development into the Ring of Fire”, as it currently undergoes an Indigenous-led environmental assessments by Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations who support the mining project.Clement invited Ontario Natural Resources minister Michael Gravelle[16] "to collaborate on projects, community visits, information-sharing, and to hold joint meetings".[citation needed] On May 8, 2012, Premier Dalton McGuinty wrote Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on the eve of Cliffs Natural Resources' announcement of the location of its ferrochrome processing facility, asking for federal government assistance "to engage First Nations in the region to help those communities benefit from this historic opportunity".[19][29] Environmental concerns listed in a Lakehead University 2012 report regarding Noront Resources's Eagle's Nest Project include pipeline leaks, a "a large edge effect", a "significant loss of biodiversity at local & regional level" from "linear constructions" such as roads.[31] The minority share partner in Big Daddy, KWG Resources, a Toronto-based junior miner, held a 30 percent stake and were also interested in the development of transportation corridor.[32] In February 2013, KWG had released the report it commissioned by the engineering firm Tetra Tech regarding the viability of building a railroad, instead of a road, to access chromite in the Ring of Fire.[31] In an April 2013 interview, Moe Lavigne, VP of KWG Resources, a former Ontario Geological Survey geologist, said that the federal government would consider Tetra Tech's findings."[31] In November 2013, The Globe and Mail, reported on the controversy over whether the province of Ontario, could afford a CAD$2.25 billion road the Trans-Canada Highway near Kenora to the Ring of Fire.[33] February 2013 briefing notes for Clement warned that the Matawa First Nation communities were among the "most socio-economically challenged in Ontario, impacting their ability to meaningfully participate in large complex projects".[24] Matawa First Nations lack "exposure to a development of this magnitude combined with low educational attainment and other factors suggests that the communities do not currently have the capacity to address the various issues related to the Ring of Fire".[24] The Action Plan noted that First Nations were interested in potential legacy impacts of Ring of Fire infrastructure, such as all-weather roads, links to the power grid and high-speed broadband Internet.[40] KWG's Chinese partners feasibility study had concluded that the route that traverses the traditional territory of the Marten Falls First Nation (MFFN) to reach Nakina in northwestern Ontario, was a "viable alignment".[43] In April 2017, KWG also requested a guarantee of a billion dollars from Ontario's Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation (ROFIDC) to use as "consideration for project financing terms from Chinese lenders.[50][39] The mining company, Noront Resources, which holds the largest Ring of Fire claims, and Marten Falls First Nation issued a joint statement welcoming Rickford's announcement.[49] By the fall of 2020, the Ring of Fire was considered "one of the largest potential mineral reserves in Ontario" with "more than 35 junior and intermediate mining and exploration companies covering an area of about "1.5 million hectares".[2] Tony Clement, Canada's Treasury Board President and the FedNor minister responsible for the Ring of Fire, claimed it will be the economic equivalent of the Athabasca oil sands, with a potential of generating $120 billion.[2] Challenges facing the development of the Ring of Fire mineral include lack of access to the remote region, infrastructure deficits such as roads, railway, electricity and broadband, First Nations land rights, and environmental issues[19] in the James Bay Lowlands, the "third largest wetland in the world".The federal government's goal of developing minerals that are crucial for the shift to a low carbon economy conflicts with the province's plans for a "Ring of Fire" as a "mining bonanza".