Posted By David Euler
Posted 6 hours ago
Ring of Fire in the Far North
Over the past two years, there has been a surge in mining claims staked throughout Ontario. The mining boom has even expanded into the James Bay Lowlands region, where more than 2,000 claims were hurriedly staked in the six months following the 2007 provincial election when the Liberal government declared it would re-visit The Mining Act. Unbeknownst to most Ontarians, there has recently been an escalation in the flurry of mining activity in the Far North in an area known as the Ring of Fire some 240 kilometres west of James Bay and north of the Albany River, shattering once pristine habitat.
While the southern boreal forest is severely fragmented, the landscape crisscrossed by roads and cleared for industrial activity, the northern boreal is supposed to be ecologically intact. Moreover, Premier Dalton McGuinty declared in 2008 that at least half of this precious land mass and enormous carbon storehouse would be protected while land-use planning that emphasized sustainable development would guide the future use of the other half.
Indeed, Ontario’s northern boreal region represents one of the last intact, original forests remaining on the planet. Beyond the northern reaches of the forest lies tundra, which supports one of the earth’s largest, continuous wetlands, and through which half of Canada’s largest dozen rivers drain.
This fall, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., a major U.S. mining company, announced plans to join the frenzy in the Ring of Fire and invest $800 million to build an open-pit mine and facilities to process chromite into ferrochrome, a key ingredient to make stainless steel. Meanwhile, Canada Chrome, a subsidiary of KWG Resources Inc., holds claims in the eastern side of the Ring of Fire and has announced its intention to develop a 200-kilometre rail corridor. Noront Resources Ltd. is ramping up plans for full-scale development that includes building an air strip.
None of these massive projects is subject to a full environmental assessment. Instead, staking, exploration and plans to build infrastructure is proceeding apace without any apparent government oversight. This is in flagrant contravention of the Premier’s promise to protect this region; there is no public consultation; First Nations communities are not leading the decision making process and there is no acknowledgment of the ecological importance of this remarkable region.
