Noront Eagle's Nest Courtesy Noront            

A presentation by NorOnt Resources top brass have created a stir with candidates running in the provincial byelection.

NorOnt is to decide by the end of summer which of four Northern Ontario communities – Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins or Thunder Bay–Fort William – will become home to the first ferrochrome plant in North America to process the minerals from the far north Ring of Fire development.

NorOnt President and CEO Alan Coutts and Chief Development Officer Stephen Flewelling were in Sault Ste. Marie Wednesday making a presentation to Chamber of Commerce members and meeting with local officials.

Liberal candidate Debbie Amaroso, who met with the representatives, urged them to locate the smelter in Sault Ste. Marie.

“I strongly encouraged NorOnt to locate their smelter in the Sault,” Amaroso said. “Based on the southern tip of Lake Superior, Sault Ste. Marie is the ideal location.”

She said the city's highly skilled work force is available and well-paying jobs are needed in the community.

NDP candidate Joe Krmpotich, a city councillor, urged Amaroso to speak out against Premier Kathleen Wynne and urge her to immediately invest in the Ring of Fire.

The province has dedicated $1 billion to the project, which Wynne said earlier this week is still available and dedicated to the infrastructure needed for the project.

Krmpotich argues that Wynne is “jeopardizing the opportunity for millions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs in our region. Sault Ste. Marie is poised to become the manufacturing hub for the development, but without interest and investment from the provincial government, we can't even begin that conversation.”

He said “if Ms Amaroso truly wants to see the Sault successful in its bid to host the smelter than she should join me in calling for the premier to get this moving, partner with First Nation communities and finally act on the Ring of Fire.”

PC candidate Ross Romano said he definitely wants to see the Ring of Fire development move forward and the ferrochrome plant locate in Sault Ste. Marie.

He charges that by not seeing the $1 billion provincial commitment I the recent budget, “that means we won't see the road get built this year.”

“This is the best opportunity we have for Sault Ste. Marie with all our conversations about diversification. There is not another opportunity like this with real potential for years to come. We are in the best position for this plant and I fully support the development and will push on the road development,” he said.

Romano said that if the Progressive Conservatives form government in the 2018 election, the first budget will include the $1 billion for the Ring of Fire development “and we will find the money for the rest of it if the federal government is not at the table.”

The byelection is set for June 1.

http://www.saultstar.com/2017/05/11/all-candidates-want-ferrochrome-plant-in-the-sault