Major Snag For Ring Of Fire Development

Cliffs Natural Resources is suspending its environmental assessment activities on the major Ring of Fire chromite project in northern Ontario.
The mining company says there are several reasons for the decision, including delays and uncertainty about government
environmental assessments.
Among other things, it says a judicial challenge by a number of First Nations communities has created uncertainty in the federal environmental assessment.
At the provincial level, it says there’s been a delay in approving the terms of reference for Ontario’s environmental assessment process.
It also cites unfinished agreements with Ontario government and unresolved issues with land surface rights.
Senior vice-president Bill Boor says the company is talking to the provincial government and First Nations from the area in the hopes of eventually restarting the environmental assessment.
Both the federal and provincial governments have high hopes for billions of dollars of investment in the Ring of Fire, development they hope will bring prosperity to struggling First Nations and royalties to their own coffers.