Another check mark for Timmins and seemingly no push back from nay sayers.

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http://www.timminspress.com/2017/12/08/noront-facility-in-timmins-could-make-onr-viable-says-councillor

Councillor Pat Bamford speaks during a Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association meeting at the McIntyre Auditorium on Friday. The Timmins councillor argued that the Noront facility's placement in this city could make the Ontario Northland Railway more viable.

TIMMINS - NEOMA is supporting Timmins' bid for the new Noront production facility, with one city councillor saying a successful bid could have big impacts across the region.

A Friday morning meeting of the Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association included a brief pitch by Mayor Steve Black and councillor Pat Bamford at the McIntyre Auditorum. They were met with plenty of support around the table.

Bamford sees the Noront facility's potential location in Timmins as a plus for the viability of the Ontario Northland Railway (ONR).

“Quite frankly, the government of Ontario should be very interested in supporting this route, simply because they subsidize the ONR. My take is, this project, if the ONR were to be delivering the ore, it would pay for itself with a profit,” said Bamford.

“It would also assist with the operations and the viability of the Ontario Northland Railway system.”

Black said Noront is looking to see community support in the location they end up choosing. Currently, three other cities in this province are in the running: Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.

“I think having a chromite smelter inside of Timmins is good for the entire region, the entire district,” said Black.

“The smelter itself will be, depending on where they are and when they ramp up, between 300 and 500 jobs directly. The spin-offs of a billion dollar plant in our region would be tremendous to the entire district, the entire supply chain.”

Black said Timmins' bid would be helped with a show of support from NEOMA communities.

“We're very pro-mining, we're very pro-natural resources,” he said.

The resolution to support this city's bid was passed by NEOMA, as was a resolution asking the province for an energy deal for Noront.

“Noront has made it quite clear that it's only getting built in Ontario if they get a long-term energy deal,” explained Black.

“One would hope that the current government at least would be willing to extend that same offer, regardless of where the facility ends, and show that it wasn't a partisan offer, it was an offer recognizing that the development is critical to Northern Ontario as a whole, no matter where it ends up.

“The last thing we want to see is the facility not go to any of the four cities in Ontario, and end up processing outside of Ontario.”

NEOMA members resolved to ask all three provincial parties whether they would secure an energy deal with Noront, and that the parties provide the details of a plan ahead of the provincial election in 2018.

Noront is the Canadian junior mining company with the biggest claim to all the major discoveries in the James Bay Lowlands – also known as the Ring of Fire.

Black described the Ring of Fire as the largest economic opportunity for Northern Ontario.

A November release from the Timmins Economic Development Corporation quoted Black as saying this city is a prime location for a refinery, given the rail infrastructure, workforce and acceptance from the community and stakeholders.