A U.S. mining company’s decision to halt operations in Ontario’s Ring of Fire has brought a sense of urgency to the province’s long-delayed efforts to build transportation links to the region.
The remote area, 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, is believed to contain $60-billion worth of minerals but lacks a road or rail line to ship ore out. Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., which had planned a $3.3-billion chromite mine, suspended the project late Wednesday, citing “risks associated with the development of necessary infrastructure.”
The province said it had got the wake-up call. “We recognize that government is going to have to partner with the enterprises that are interested in developing the Ring of Fire, and we understand there will have to be collaboration on infrastructure development. We’re absolutely clear on that,” Premier Kathleen Wynne said Thursday. “It’s about a huge opportunity.”
Adrian Morrow & Eric Atkins – Globe And Mail – November 21, 2013.
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