While waiting for our announcements this series of articles by Sudol is worth a read.  From 2013 but still very applicable and possibly going into play?

http://www.mining.com/web/four-part-series-on-the-ring-of-fire/

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From 2013 we can start to see the real value of the ring and surrounding areas....take out a calculator and start to add up the potential worth....

Ring’s potential ‘astounding’ – by Stan Sudol [Part 3 of 4] (Sudbury Star – Novmeber 16, 2013)

In an engaging presentation about the Ring of Fire at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention in March 2013, geologist James Franklin outlined the staggering economic value of the Ring of Fire.

Franklin was the chief geoscientist at the Geological Survey of Canada from 1993 to 1997. He is one of the country’s top experts on the Canadian Shield geology underlying northwestern Ontario, including the Ring of Fire.

By comparing the similar geologies between the Ring of Fire and surrounding regions and that of the enormously rich Abitibi-Greenstone belt between northeastern Ontario and northwestern Quebec, Franklin has come up with some educated guesses of the financial values for the deposit types found in the Ring. For slightly over a century, the legendary Abitibi-Greenstone belt has produced hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of mostly gold, silver, copper and zinc.

“The Ring of Fire is a truly extraordinary mineral discovery due to the various types of deposits. Similar deposits, elsewhere in Canada and around the world have yielded billions of dollars of metallic metals,” Franklin said. “Due to roughly eight smaller VMS-type deposits that hold copper, zinc and silver, which have not been thoroughly drilled-off, the Ring of Fire could ultimately produce between $30 billion to $50 billion worth of these metals and perhaps another Kidd Creek ore body, which has been in operation since the mid-1960s in Timmins.”

He very conservatively estimates an additional $7.5 billion to $12.5 billion worth of nickel, copper, PGE values in the Ring alone and while no one is currently looking for gold, feels that due to the favourable geology, at least $10 billion worth of the precious metal is yet to be found. In the adjacent greenstone belts — prime gold bearing geology — to the west of the Ring of Fire, Franklin is exceptionally optimistic and feels an additional $140 billion to $190 billion worth of the precious metal will eventually be discovered.

These financial projections are on top of the currently accepted Ministry of Northern Development and Mines valuations of $50 billion for chromite and $10 billion for Noront Resources’ nickel, copper, PGE mine!

“These are only conservative estimates,” Franklin said, “and the provincial government should spend at least $50 million over the next few years on more aerial high-resolution geophysical surveys, mapping where outcrops permit and extensive on-ground geochemical and till sampling on a regional basis. Every dollar spent on geoscience results in five dollars of industry activity.”

And while he does not want to venture a guess at the value of future chromite discoveries, he believes the current chromite reserves of roughly 220 million tonnes could easily be doubled. He also indicated the chromite discoveries in the Ring of Fire are “very, very well behaved” so that initial (inferred) reserves estimates routinely move over to the (indicated and measured) categories with more infill drilling due to the enormous size and predictability of this massive deposit.

KWG Resources recently announced that it has discovered an additional 46.5 million tonnes (inferred) of chromite at the Black Horse deposit, of which the company has 80% control, while Bold Resources has the remainder. This is the second largest chromite deposit in the mining camp after Cliffs’ Black Thor project, which has 102 million tonnes (measured and indicated) and 33 million metric tonnes (inferred). However, the Black Horse deposit has a much higher grade, which could justify it being mined from underground, without the environmental impact of other proposals.

“We are tremendously pleased with these initial results,” said M. J. (Moe) Lavigne, vice-president of exploration and development at KWG. “Our next step is to continue to expand this resource, as well as conducting infill drilling. This deposit will allow KWG to put together its own chromite mining development plan.”

The massive chromite deposit in the Ring of Fire follows a 12 km strike-length. Each mining company seems to have a portion of this deposit, which remains to be fully explored. In the world of chromite mining, the Ring of Fire, if developed in an economically sustainable manner, will be a game changer.

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The future fate of KWG's staked claims for their railway may be determined by what has happened in the past....were these Kidd claims expropriated for the public good?

In the 1960s, the Ontario Northland built spurs to three new mines — the Sherman, Adams and Kidd Creek — to ensure economic development and jobs. Interestingly, the line to Kidd Creek was built on mining claims staked for the purpose, just as KWG has now done, to extend the ONR to the Ring of Fire.

Transportation costs key for successful Ring of Fire development [Part 4 of 4] – by Stan Sudol (Sudbury Star – November 18, 2013)

Smeenk is supporting an innovative business plan that was developed by the General Chairperson’s Association, the leadership organization of the unions representing Ontario Northland Railroad (ONR) employees — the New Deal — that would establish a James Bay & Lowlands Ports Authority. The agency would have a railroad connection between Moosonee and Koper Lake, which is a main float-plane airport in the Ring of Fire, northern infrastructure connecting First Nations to a new local enterprise.

A port authority is a special purpose agency formed by the federal government to operate ports and, surprisingly, airports and railways, as well. These are stand-alone agencies that are managed by the cities or regions they serve, like the Toronto Ports Authority and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority. With federal backing, these agencies can borrow money at lower government interest rates that can be paid back over a much longer period of time than standard corporate loans that are usually structured over a 30-year lifespan or less.

“(The Ministry of Northern Development and Mines) would lodge its shares in the ONR with the James Bay & Lowlands Ports Authority,” Smeenk says. “The Canada Marine Act provides that the governance of such transportation assets include representatives of the local communities and industry. I think this is a most unique opportunity to have the Matawa, Mushkegowuk and Nishnabie Aski bodies politic provide such leadership.

“In addition, taxpayers would avoid the very costly termination and closure liabilities that the province would occur if they liquidated the railway. And KWG would make its railroad engineering and right-of-way claims available for the extension of the ONR network into the Ring of Fire,” he said.

This new agency would finance the construction of the railroad and continuing operations of the ONR on a cost-recovery basis and amortize the loan over a 50- to 75-year period. In addition, vital infrastructure stays in public hands for the continued economic development of the far north. There would be feeder roads into the adjacent First Nations.

Smeenk says he feels the onus is on Premier Kathleen Wynne to talk to the Prime Minister about establishing the port authority and transferring the assets of the ONR into this new federal agency.

On Nov. 8, the Ontario government announced the creation of a Ring of Fire development corporation that would bring together all the private and public stakeholders, including the federal government and First Nations. The goal of this corporation would be to sort out the competing infrastructure proposals and help build, finance and operate the strategic transportation route(s) into the Ring. So, I assume the port authority concept with the involvement of the ONR would definitely be one of the proposals on the table.

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We still wait to hear the holistic plan from Wynne...... and then from Trudeau and his partners for their contribution...