"I have a hunch that we won't see anything positive out of the Noront camp until the MFFN MOU is signed and all of the First Nations business is cleared up."

We've already heard material news prior to the last release on FN negotiations and the FN relations will be an ongoing thing therefore I would doubt your hunch. It will always be subject to adjustments and negotiations of one sort or another. The mines will be going through one way or another and it is to the financial advantage of all concerned for it to do so. My hunch is that NOT's dissemination of news will have much more to do with corporate interests/tactics.