http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3127968
Stress 'soft skils' in pursuing Ring of Fire opportunities, Sudbury told
Updated 7 minutes ago
Cities like Greater Sudbury looking to benefit from the Ring of Fire should market their soft skills such as their knowledge base and skilled workforce, and not just "hard infrastructure" to companies developing the massive deposit.
Communities throughout Northern Ontario are looking to capitalize on development of the 5,120-square-kilometre deposit of chromite, nickel, copper, zinc, gold and kimberlite located about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.
The co-ordinator of the Ring of Fire Secretariat, Christine Kaszycki, spoke to members of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday about progress in developing the resource and how businesses might get involved.
Kaszycki, who heads the secretariat established by the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry last year, presented a high-level overview of the status of the Ring of Fire development.
It is no wonder the Ring of Fire, one of the most significant mineral finds in history, has captured the imagination of Ontario, said Kaszycki.
The deposit is on the same scale as "historic" mineral deposits in Sudbury, Kirkland Lake, Timmins and Red Lake, she said.
What is different about this deposit is that there is an opportunity to "get in front of it" and plan how it should be developed.
Two of the largest stakeholders in the Ring of Fire - Cliffs Natural Resources and NorOnt Resources - have ambitious plans for startup by 2015 or 2016, she said.
Prefeasibility studies and baseline environmental assessments are being conducted, including looking at the cost of infrastructure such as permanent roads and rail lines needed to transport ore from the remote area.
Companies with a share in the deposit are moving from the exploration stage to the advanced exploration stage. Cliffs Natural Resources has already spent $250 million on exploration and other work, not including the cost of acquisition, said Kaszycki.
The Ring of Fire contains the only North American deposit of chromite, a mineral used in the making of stainless steel.
