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89-623: Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario , Canada. The district seat is the City of Kenora . It is geographically the largest division in Ontario: at 407,213.01 square kilometres (157,225.82 sq mi), it covers 38 percent of the province's area, making it larger than Newfoundland and Labrador , and slightly smaller than Sweden or roughly the land size of California . Kenora District also has

178-512: A "$ 3.3-billion investment to build a chromite mine, transportation corridor and processing facility in northern Ontario's Ring of Fire that would lead to a new generation of prosperity in the north, with thousands of jobs and new infrastructure". Natural Resources minister Michael Gravelle announced that the smelter would be in Sudbury, Ontario. On 26 April 2013, Tony Clement called the Ring of Fire

267-565: A "large find" of "high grade deposit" of platinum , palladium , nickel , and copper 500 kilometres (310 miles) northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Its underground mine project is called the Eagle's Nest Project. To reduce heavy truck traffic, Noront is planning to build a buried 90 kilometres (56 miles)-long slurry pipeline, using new technology safety features, from the site to Webequie Junction. Cliffs Natural Resources, of Cleveland, Ohio, originally had an "ambitious timetable for developing

356-502: A 40 metres (130 ft) width containing an estimated 72 megatonnes of chromite ore (42% Cr 2 O 3 ). in September 2009. In October 2009, Noront Resources (NOT-V) made a hostile takeover bid for Freewest Resources (FWR-V). In November 2009, Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF-N), the world's largest iron ore pellet supplier, purchased Freewest Resources' share of the chromite-rich "high-grade Black Thor, Black Label and Big Daddy deposits in

445-414: A census division corresponds to a single unit of the appropriate type listed above. However, in a few cases, Statistics Canada groups two or more units into a single statistical division: In almost all such cases, the division in question was formerly a single unit of the standard type, which was divided into multiple units by its province after the 2001 Canadian census . A census consolidated subdivision

534-457: A discussion on the merits of "making ferrochrome in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for a new North American stainless steel joint-venture with Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario." Sault Ste. Marie's Mayor Christian Provenzano said in a March 22 news report, expressed concern that he was not aware of this joint venture, nor were their "partners in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan." The news report said that "KWG

623-424: A former census subdivision, a former urban area, or a former designated place. It may also refer to neighbourhoods, post offices, communities and unincorporated places among other entities. Statistics Canada also aggregates data by federal electoral districts , one purpose for which is the redrawing of district boundaries every ten years. Federal electoral districts are numerically indexed; each district receives

712-455: A joint venture agreement with Bold Ventures (TSX:BOL) on its $ 5 million Koper Lake Project. In February 2013, Richard Nemis, CEO of Bold Ventures, obtained a Marten Falls First Nation Land Use Permit to operate the camp using "three diamond drills provided by Cyr International Drilling and Orbit Garant Drilling" to carry out approximately 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) of diamond drilling on nickel‐copper and chromite targets. Operator Bold Ventures

801-495: A population between 400 and 700 people. A "census metropolitan area" (CMA) is a grouping of census subdivisions comprising a large urban area (the "urban core") and those surrounding "urban fringes" with which it is closely integrated. To become a CMA, an area must register an urban core population of at least 100,000 at the previous census. CMA status is retained even if this core population later drops below 100,000. CMAs may cross census division and provincial boundaries, although

890-687: A proposed KWG processing plant in Sault Ste. Marie." Invited guests included Premier Doug Ford , Maxime Bernier , and Chief Jason Gauthier, of the Missinabie Cree First Nation. KWG CEO Smeenk said that the transportation corridor would "ensure the viability" of the Algoma Central Railway , which is one of the goals of the Missanabie First Nation. The invitation for the April 5 event announced

979-399: A railroad to the Ring of Fire from Exton, Ontario." The February 2013 Tetra Tech engineering firm report said that concluded that a railroad would provide better access to ore in the Ring of Fire, than a road. By April 2013, Canada Chrome Corporation, had "staked a 330 km (210 mi)-kilometre-long "string of mining claims" which would eventually provide a transportation corridor from

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1068-408: A seven-year period, Noront Resources "sunk machines here and they have done outrageous acts here". In the fall of 2009, the companies "used a helicopter to break ice here with a log". On February 3, 2010, Noront Resources Ltd. was trying to build a "[landing] strip here on the string bog". In January 2010, Chief Eli Moonias, Webequie Chief Cornelius Wabasse, and community members set up a blockade on

1157-700: A signing ceremony. This ceremony solidified the partnership between the two First Nations and the Ontario government, who now have the support of these First Nations to develop an all-season road infrastructure and move forward with the Ring of Fire developments. In late 2021, it was reported that access to the Ring of Fire required 450 kilometers of new roads, which would connect many remote First Nation regions that are currently, air-access-only and do not have readily available access to clean drinking water, to Ontario’s provincial highway system. The provincial government has volunteered $ 1.6 billion of government funding for

1246-477: A single CSA were such an approach utilized. Statistics Canada has described the Greater Golden Horseshoe as the country's largest urban area . A "census agglomeration" (CA) is a smaller version of a CMA in which the urban core population at the previous census was greater than 10,000 but less than 100,000. If the population of an urban core is less than 50,000, it is the starting point for

1335-709: A unique five-digit code, with the first two digits being the Standard Geographical Classification code for the province or territory in which the district is located. Northern Ontario Ring of Fire The region is centred on McFaulds Lake , near the Attawapiskat River in Kenora District , approximately 400 kilometres (250 miles) northeast of Thunder Bay , about 70 kilometres (43 miles) east of Webequie , and due north of Marten Falls and Ogoki Post , which

1424-697: Is a geographic unit between census division and census subdivision. It is a combination of adjacent census subdivisions typically consisting of larger, more rural census subdivisions and smaller, more densely populated census subdivisions. Census subdivisions generally correspond to the municipalities of Canada, as determined by provincial and territorial legislation. They can also correspond to area which are deemed to be equivalents to municipalities for statistical reporting purposes, such as Indian reserves , Indian settlements , and unorganized territories where municipal level government may not exist. Statistics Canada has created census subdivisions in cooperation with

1513-757: Is believed to be interested in partnering with the United States to take advantage of President Donald Trump's 'America First' approach to international trade." By 2019, the mining company with the most holdings in the Ring of Fire was the Canadian company—Noront Resources Ltd.—with palladium , nickel , platinum , and copper deposit in Eagle's Nest, and chromite deposits including Big Daddy, Black Thor, and Blackbird. In late August 27, 2019, in Sault Ste. Marie , Ontario's Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines (MENDM), Greg Rickford , said that

1602-756: Is geographically extensive enough to share borders with both the contiguous United States (the boundary between it and the Northwest Angle is located in the Lake of the Woods ) and the Canadian Arctic waters (Hudson Bay), the only district in Canada to do so. The District contains the Sturgeon Lake Caldera , which is one of the world's best preserved Neoarchean caldera complexes and

1691-528: Is near/on the ( Albany River ) west of James Bay . The Ring of Fire development impacts nine First Nations , and potential developers are required to negotiate an Impact Benefit Agreement with these communities prior to development. In 2003, Noront Resources began using two frozen lakes—Koper Lake, located about 128 kilometres (80 miles) north of Marten Falls, and McFaulds Lake —as landing strips without consulting Martens Falls and Webequie First Nations. The Mining Act only allows exploration activities, not

1780-503: Is some 2.7 billion years old. As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , the Kenora District had a population of 66,000 living in 24,818 of its 32,914 total private dwellings, a change of 0.7% from its 2016 population of 65,533 . With a land area of 395,432.07 km (152,677.18 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.2/km (0.4/sq mi) in 2021. Most of

1869-715: Is the part of the Kenora District lying north of the Albany River , which was transferred from the Northwest Territories to Ontario on May 15, 1912, in The Ontario Boundaries Extension Act . This area was originally a separate division, Patricia District, but became part of Kenora District in 1937. With the exception of a few communities along the northernmost ends of Highway 599 and the Highway 105 / Highway 125 corridor,

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1958-421: Is usually a small community that does not meet the criteria used to define incorporated municipalities or urban areas (areas with a population of at least 1,000 and no fewer than 400 persons per square kilometre), but for which Statistics Canada or a provincial government has requested that similar demographic data be compiled. A " locality " (LOC) is a historical named location or place. The named location may be

2047-532: Is very harsh because of the influence of the cold waters of Hudson and James Bays : most of the region is taiga characterized by discontinuous permafrost , but on the extreme northern coast there are – remarkably for a latitude of only 54°N – patches of true Arctic tundra and continuous permafrost. This is the southernmost point in the Northern Hemisphere reached by the circumpolar line of continuous permafrost on any continent. Kenora District

2136-623: The Ontario Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) and are completing environmental assessments under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA)". In 2011, Ontario's Ministry of Northern Development and Mines created the Ring of Fire Secretariat, with Christine Kaszyckias as its coordinator, to develop "the chromite and other deposits in the Ring of Fire as quickly as possible and with due regard to environmental impacts and

2225-523: The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) proceeded with a Comprehensive Study Environmental Assessment that favours the mining industry without First Nations participation. On October 20, 2011, Matawa First Nations removed its support for the Ring of Fire development unless the federal government agreed to a joint review panel Environmental Assessment process that would allow First Nations communities in

2314-540: The FedNor minister responsible for the Ring of Fire, claimed it will be the economic equivalent of the Athabasca oil sands , with a potential of generating $ 120 billion. Clement says the Ring of Fire represents a "once-in-a-life opportunity to create jobs and generate growth and long-term prosperity for northern Ontario and the nation". Challenges facing the development of the Ring of Fire mineral include lack of access to

2403-589: The Northern Ontario Resource Trail . Year-round air and summertime river transport are the only means of reaching the most remote parts of the district. The major railroad lines between Toronto and British Columbia pass through the south of the district. The district is served by Via Rail 's Canadian at Rice Lake , Copelands Landing , Malachi, Ottermere , Minaki , Redditt , Farlane station , Canyon , Red Lake Road , Richan , and Sioux Lookout stations . The Patricia Portion

2492-538: The Ottawa - Gatineau metropolitan area in Ontario and Quebec is the only one that currently crosses a provincial border. The methodology used by Statistics Canada does not allow for CMA-CMA mergers into larger statistical areas; consequently, there is no Canadian equivalent to the combined statistical areas of the United States. Statistics Canada has stated that Toronto , Oshawa and Hamilton could be merged into

2581-549: The Patricia Portion . As with the other districts of Northern Ontario, the Kenora District does not have an organized government like those of counties or regional municipalities in Southern Ontario . All government services in the district are instead provided by the local municipalities, by local services boards in some unincorporated communities, or directly by the provincial government. The climate

2670-478: The "working age population in the Matawa First Nation communities have not completed high school". Three of the nine local Matawa First Nations were "under financial intervention (co-management)". Matawa First Nations lack "exposure to a development of this magnitude combined with low educational attainment and other factors suggests that the communities do not currently have the capacity to address

2759-422: The 2011 census, urban area was renamed "population centre". In 2011, Statistics Canada identified 942 population centres in Canada. Some population centres cross municipal boundaries and not all municipalities contain a population centre while others have more than one. The population centre level of geography is further divided into the following three groupings based on population: A "designated place" (DPL)

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2848-577: The Big Daddy chromite deposit to CN Rail (CN) near Nakina, Ontario . In an April 2013 interview, Moe Lavigne, VP of KWG Resources, a former Ontario Geological Survey geologist, said that the federal government would consider Tetra Tech's findings. Lavigne, said that they had staked mining claims to eventually build the railroad and make their stranded assets "viable." Lavigne said that "Ontario's Mining Act would safeguard his company's corridor claims." In November 2013, The Globe and Mail , reported on

2937-478: The Black Thor chromite deposit", hoping to complete permits and environmental assessment approvals by the end of 2013 ( MRI ). In September 2003, a junior company, Freewest Resources Canada, began exploring Black Thor using airborne geophysics and ground geophysics. In February 2008 findings of a chromite prospect with an estimated 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) strike length, a depth of 200 metres (660 ft), and

3026-719: The Chinese stainless steel industry. According to an April 2017 Northern Ontario Business article, KWG said it was "working towards" creating an "equal partnership" to develop the chromite deposit with one of the First Nation's communities, Marten Falls First Nation , whose traditional territory includes the Ring of Fire nickel and chromite deposits and would also be traversed by the proposed north-south railway. The five Ring of Fire mining companies began planning on extending partnership offers to other nearby communities such as Aroland First Nation and Webequie First Nation ,

3115-602: The First Nations communities located in the Ring of Fire area so that a healthy and skilled First Nations workforce will be ready to participate fully in the many opportunities presented by this development. McGuinty 25 May 2012 By 2012, there were 30,000 claims, 35 prospecting companies, and significant discoveries of chromium, copper, zinc, nickel, platinum, vanadium and gold; there were only two major development proposals, Noront Resources's Eagle's Nest Project and Cliffs Natural Resources. KWG Resources entered into

3204-634: The McFauld's Lake" and the Tamarack Project which "comprises 360 claims covering over 5,700 hectares of the McFauld's Lake in the Ring of Fire". Environmental concerns listed in a Lakehead University 2012 report regarding Noront Resources's Eagle's Nest Project include pipeline leaks, a "a large edge effect", a "significant loss of biodiversity at local & regional level" from "linear constructions" such as roads. Despite state-of-the-art technology, environmental risks of underground pipelines in

3293-907: The North to Wyloo Metals, for $ 616.9 million. The head of the company, Luca Giacovazzi, noted that de-carbonizing the economy is a priority for Wyloo, stating that the company “started spending a lot of time looking at things like electric vehicles and batteries, and that sort of led us down the path of nickel.” The metals company will commit $ 25 million in a feasibility study to look into building battery material in Ontario, as well as targeting $ 100 million in contracts with Indigenous communities to create jobs in communities and promising training for Indigenous workers. Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation are leading provincial and federal Environmental and Impact Assessments for their proposed Marten Falls Community Access Road and Webequie Supply Road projects. These projects have been respectively approved by

3382-562: The Northern Ontario Business said. Aroland First Nation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Norand on June 6, 2019, regarding the development of Norand's Eagle's Nest nickel and base metal deposit. KWG CEO Smeenk proposed the creation of the James Bay & Lowlands Transportation Authority, which would be "similar to an airport or port authority". He said that the federal government should participate in

3471-533: The Ohio-based firm that held the majority share in Big Daddy chromite deposit, was seeking an easement through Ontario's Mining and Landings Commissioner on the KWG corridor to build their access road. The minority share partner in Big Daddy, KWG Resources , a Toronto-based junior miner, held a 30 percent stake and were also interested in the development of transportation corridor. In February 2013, KWG had released

3560-406: The Ontario government about the opening of First Nations lands to the Ring of Fire development. Noront's Eagle's Nest copper and nickel mine and the Black Thor chromite mine of Cliffs Natural Resources would generate wealth and royalties for Ontario, but the mines are in a remote region. They will "require significant development to make them viable". "[D]evelopment that will have a profound effect on

3649-583: The Patricia Portion consists almost entirely of remote First Nations communities that are only accessible by float plane or winter road . Accordingly, the term "Patricia Portion" is still sometimes used to distinguish the region from the relatively more populated and road-accessible southern portion. Census divisions of Canada The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct

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3738-755: The Provincial Environmental Assessment (EA) Terms of Reference in October 2021. Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said that the Georgia Lake lithium project, KGHM's Victoria mine proposal and the Onaping Depth nickel project were a higher priority than the Ring of Fire for federal investment. The Ring of Fire is situated in a region of "vast, environmentally sensitive...peatlands". The federal government's goal of developing minerals that are crucial for

3827-483: The Ring of Fire and to avoid "political whims" from preventing the extraction of the minerals in the future, it was necessary to do "business with the United States." KWG hosted a fundraising event on April 5, 2018, at Toronto's original stock exchange on Bay Street in support of the establishment of the Transportation Authority to facilitate the transport of chromite ore "from the Ring of Fire to

3916-428: The Ring of Fire crescent covers 5,000 square kilometres (approximately 1,930 square miles), most discoveries made by 2012 were within a twenty-kilometre-long strip. Ontario's Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry Michael Gravelle called the region "home to one of the most promising mineral development opportunities in Ontario in more than a century". Tony Clement , Canada's Treasury Board President and

4005-471: The Ring of Fire development by creating James Bay & Lowlands Transportation Authority—"similar to a port or airport"— for the purpose of transporting ore from the Ring of Fire to Sault Ste. Marie where there is already a port and a rail line. The railway runs from Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst which is "half way to the Ring of Fire". Smeenk told Postmedia that in the current "political realities" and "regulatory environments", in order to extract minerals from

4094-598: The area of the Ring of Fire that Cliffs acquired in 2009 represents one of the "premier chromite deposits in the world. Chromite is smelted to produce ferrochrome which is used globally in the production of stainless steel and is categorized as a strategic metal resource by many countries. In 2011, environmental assessments by the Canadian federal and Ontario provincial governments began for Cliffs Natural Resources' proposed Black Thor Project and Noront Resources's Eagles Nest Project, with both companies volunteering "to make their projects subject to an environmental assessment under

4183-463: The area to have a voice in the assessment. In May 2019, Noront Resources announced that their ferrochrome smelter to process chromite extracted from the Ring of Fire in northwestern Ontario would be located in Sault Ste. Marie. However, Ring of Fire, a $ 60-billion project, has been stalled as the Ford administration has ended all negotiations with the nine Matawa First Nations who own the territory in which

4272-571: The capital cost of building the Far North railroad would be about $ 2 billion, says a June 2017 Northern Ontario Business article. The same article said that the proposed railroad would transport 10 million tonnes of chromite annually by 2030, potentially growing to a yearly volume of up to 24 million tonnes by 2040. To complete the project, KWG was seeking financing from both China and the Government of Ontario, including supply agreements with

4361-479: The community to an all-season road. On the same day, Noront announced that they had issued "300,000 shares to Marten Falls First Nation and 150,000 shares to Aroland First Nation" as part of their Project Advancement Agreement. By the fall of 2020, the Ring of Fire was considered "one of the largest potential mineral reserves in Ontario" with "more than 35 junior and intermediate mining and exploration companies covering an area of about "1.5 million hectares". Although

4450-444: The company says its design will be the first mine to have all its tailings remain underground and “100% of process plant water will be recycled to minimize the discharge of effluents.” Further, it is reported to reach commercial production 3 years after permits are received and its mine life is expended to be 11 years, with the possibility of an additional 9. According to Northern Ontario Business article, Cliffs Natural Resources,

4539-429: The construction of a 'census agglomeration'. CMAs and CAs with a population greater than 50,000 are subdivided into census tracts which have populations ranging from 2,500 to 8,000. A population centre (PC), formerly known as an urban area (UA), is any grouping of contiguous dissemination areas that has a minimum population of 1,000 and an average population density of 400 persons per square kilometre or greater. For

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4628-571: The construction of a year-round access road from Nibinamik and Webequie First Nations, to Ontario Highway 599 at Pickle Lake , which would "also facilitate access to the Ring of Fire, located about 575 km (357 mi) north of Thunder Bay . In May 2017, representatives from KWG and the Marten Falls First Nation (MFFN), made an official visit to FSDI headquarters in Xi'an, China . The FSDI feasibility study estimated that

4717-444: The construction of permanent structures. Marten Falls First Nations Chief Eli Moonias explained in 2010 that Noront Resources did not have "permits to construct landing strips on the string bog or roads to the nearby airstrip". "The two First Nations proposed that they should build and maintain the infrastructure to prevent further damage to the wetlands environment." Marten Falls First Nations Chief Eli Moonias described how over

4806-472: The controversy over whether the province of Ontario, could afford a CAD$ 2.25 billion road the Trans-Canada Highway near Kenora to the Ring of Fire. February 2013 briefing notes for Clement warned that the Matawa First Nation communities were among the "most socio-economically challenged in Ontario, impacting their ability to meaningfully participate in large complex projects". Most of

4895-519: The country's quinquennial census . These areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government of their own. They exist on four levels: the top-level (first-level) divisions are Canada's provinces and territories ; these are divided into second-level census divisions , which in turn are divided into third-level census subdivisions (often corresponding to municipalities ) and fourth-level dissemination areas . In some provinces, census divisions correspond to

4984-425: The development of Action Plan for Supporting Community Participation in the Ring of Fire to help "position First Nations to benefit from proposed mining projects". On May 8, 2012, Premier Dalton McGuinty wrote Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on the eve of Cliffs Natural Resources' announcement of the location of its ferrochrome processing facility, asking for federal government assistance "to engage First Nations in

5073-431: The edge of the Ring of Fire include Constance Lake First Nation (Chief Roger Wesley), Nibinamik First Nation , Aroland First Nation , Long Lake 58 First Nation , Ginoogaming First Nation , Eabametoong First Nation , Mishkeegogamang First Nation , and Constance Lake First Nation . In May 2011, Matawa Chiefs and their communities called for a Joint Environmental Assessment (EA) Review Panel. On October 13, 2011,

5162-426: The extent that Noront [Resources] or other mining companies could build mines on that corridor, then we have a great value proposition.". The mining company, Noront Resources, which holds the largest Ring of Fire claims, and Marten Falls First Nation issued a joint statement welcoming Rickford's announcement. Marten Falls is the proponent of an environmental assessment for the first stage of an access road connecting

5251-474: The landing strips at Koper and McFaulds Lakes. Martens Falls and Webequie First Nations ended their blockade on March 19, 2010, with the admonition that they would resume the action if their concerns were not addressed by Noront within six months. Although the protest ended, Noront continued to use the frozen lakes as landing strips until break-up in 2010. Chief Eli Moonias expressed environmental concerns over "sewage, grey-water, oil spills and road clearing" over

5340-559: The local native communities, five of which are not yet accessible by road." By 2014, a "regional-framework agreement between the Matawa Tribal Council was the provincial government was reached. Retired Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci negotiated on behalf of the province and former premier Bob Rae on behalf of the Matawa, "set the terms for how future projects related to the proposed Ring of Fire would be finalized. It

5429-433: The lowest population density of any of Ontario's census divisions (it ranks 37th out of 50 by total population). The district was created in 1907 from parts of Rainy River District . The northern part (north of the Albany River ) only became part of Ontario in 1912 (transferred from the Northwest Territories ). The separate Patricia District upon transfer, it was in 1937 annexed to Kenora District and known sometimes as

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5518-625: The market should expect a project to come on board." In the spring of 2016, engineers from China Railway Group Limited (FSDI), a Xi'an -based firm owned by the Government of China through the China Railway Engineering Corporation , and KWG's Moe Lavigne visited the Ring of Fire in Northern Ontario to explore a potential north–south route for a chromite ore-haul railroad from the Ring of Fire. KWG's Chinese partners feasibility study had concluded that

5607-403: The mineral-rich James Bay lowlands, but can also connect by road, as well as add to the provincial power grid and expand modern telecommunications to, 'at least four, five Indigenous communities.'" In a CBC interview he said that, the transportation corridor would have "additional health and social and economic benefits that move beyond the more obvious opportunities of creating mines ... To

5696-652: The mining project. On 12 November 2012, Tony Clement was appointed as the lead federal minister on the Ring of Fire and co-chair, with Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Bernard Valcourt , of the Federal Steering Committee (FCS), which represents 15 federal departments. Clement invited Ontario Natural Resources minister Michael Gravelle "to collaborate on projects, community visits, information-sharing, and to hold joint meetings". Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) led other federal departments and FedNor in

5785-585: The most promising mineral development opportunities for critical minerals in the province”, citing the region’s long-term potential to produce, chromite, cobalt, nickel, copper, and platinum. In May 2012, Cliffs Natural Resources announced its intention of investing $ 3.3 billion in Northern Ontario's Ring of Fire region, which would include a chromite mine, a transportation corridor and a smelter in Sudbury, Ontario . Cliffs initially invested $ 550 million to acquire and begin development. By 2013, Cliffs had suspended

5874-656: The needs of the Aboriginal communities within the region". It outlined strategies regarding First Nations partnerships, including resource revenue sharing, regional infrastructure planning, long-term environmental monitoring , community-based capacity funding, relationship agreements, land use planning, employment and income assistance, skills development, training and job creation, transportation and community infrastructure, and socio-economic and community development in response to concerns by industry and First Nations communities. In May 2012, Cliffs Natural Resources announced

5963-402: The oil sands of Ontario. On 13 June 2013, Cliffs announced it would put its $ 3.3-billion project on hold pending results of negotiations between First Nations and Queen's Park. Clement said that the Ring of Fire would bring "about a hundred years of mining activity that will spin-off jobs and economic activity for generations". The Ontario government has called the Ring of Fire region “one of

6052-551: The population is concentrated in the district's extreme south where some agriculture is possible: the main crop is barley . Traditional native activities such as hunting and fishing dominate the north of the district outside of mining settlements. The area near Lake Minnehaha saw a gold rush between 1902 and 1909. The settlement of Gold Rock served 14 area mines, which included the Big Master, Laurentian, Detola and Elora. According to Barnes, "Approximately 180,000 ounces of gold

6141-404: The project "after numerous delays and difficult discussions with the province [of Ontario] and the First Nations communities". Cliffs sold its assets to the smaller Canadian company, Noront Resources Ltd. for USD20 million. The Ontario government and Premier Doug Ford have stated their enthusiasm and intent in connecting the Ring of Fire and Northern Ontario’s industries, resources and workers to

6230-587: The proposed roads. In January 2021, the Australian company Wyloo Metals, announced its intent to acquire a controlling interest in Noront Resources. Wyloo’s offer of $ 0.70 a share (CAD), trumped the competing offer of $ 0.55 (CAD) a share made by BHP group. In March 2022, Noront Resources shareholders, with a 98.9 per cent majority, approved the sale of the Toronto junior miner's mineral assets in

6319-492: The province's second-level administrative divisions such as a county or another similar unit of political organization. In the prairie provinces , census divisions do not correspond to the province's administrative divisions, but rather group multiple administrative divisions together. In Newfoundland and Labrador , the boundaries are chosen arbitrarily as no such level of government exists. Two of Canada's three territories are also divided into census divisions. In most cases,

6408-446: The provinces of British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia as equivalents for municipalities. The Indian reserve and Indian settlement census subdivisions are determined according to criteria established by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada . Dissemination areas are the smallest standard geographic unit in Canada and cover the entire country. As small areas, they comprise one or more dissemination blocks and have

6497-419: The region to help those communities benefit from this historic opportunity". Along with federal funds to improve First Nations education on reserves and for drug treatment programs, McGuinty asked for "a tripartite process". Canada needs to deal with the acknowledged and widespread problems of inadequate First Nation's social and community infrastructure. To this end, there needs to be an immediate investment in

6586-501: The regional framework agreement negotiated in 2014 under between the province and the nine Matawa First Nations, had cost over $ 20 million and that funding had run out for the agreement in late 2018. Rickford said he was taking a more "pragmatic" approach with the goal of removing delays to projects, with the north-south corridor that at the top of the list. Rickford wants to work on a series of bilateral agreements with individual communities that would "not only could lead to road access to

6675-435: The remote "Ring of Fire" metals" for $ 240 million. In November 2009, Joseph Carrabba, Cliffs' president and CEO, claimed the "world-class deposits" had the "potential to support an open pit mine producing 1 to 2 million tonnes per year for more than thirty years". Carrabba announced that the ore would be "further processed into 400,000–800,000 tonnes of ferrochrome". The purchase was finalized in 2010. According to Carrabba

6764-747: The remote region, infrastructure deficits such as roads, railway, electricity and broadband, First Nations land rights, and environmental issues in the James Bay Lowlands , the "third largest wetland in the world". Clement was looking to business, not the federal government, to invest "in power and transportation infrastructure to develop the deposit". In March 2020, at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Indigenous affairs, Greg Rickford, met Marten Falls Chief Bruce Achneepineskum and Webequie First Nation Chief Cornelius Wabasse for

6853-428: The report it commissioned by the engineering firm Tetra Tech regarding the viability of building a railroad, instead of a road, to access chromite in the Ring of Fire. Big Daddy chromite deposit to CN Rail (CN) near Nakina, Ontario . According to KWG, KWG's 100 percent owned subsidiary, Canada Chrome Corporation, had "conducted a $ 15 million surveying and soil testing program for the engineering and construction of

6942-528: The route that traverses the traditional territory of the Marten Falls First Nation (MFFN) to reach Nakina in northwestern Ontario, was a "viable alignment". China consumes approximately 60% of the world's ferrochrome production. In April 2017, KWG also requested a guarantee of a billion dollars from Ontario's Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation (ROFIDC) to use as "consideration for project financing terms from Chinese lenders." In 2017, then-Ontario Premier, Kathleen Wynne, pledged support for

7031-404: The seven-year period. The Ring of Fire was named when the first significant mineral finds were made in the region, by Richard Nemis, after Johnny Cash 's famous country and western ballad . Prior to its discovery, Canada and the United States were compelled to rely on offshore sources for chromite, principally from South Africa. On 28 August 2007, Noront Resources announced the discovery of

7120-407: The shift to a low carbon economy conflicts with the province's plans for a "Ring of Fire" as a "mining bonanza". Wilkinson said that they have identified mining projects in Ontario that are nearer to infrastructure that already exists. The three First Nations most profoundly impacted by the two projects are Marten Falls First Nation , Webequie First Nation and Neskantaga First Nation . Others on

7209-510: The south of the province in order to “build up home-grown supply chains”. In its collaboration with First Nation partners, the Ontario government has said it is “continuing to make progress in a corridor to prosperity (roadway) to the 'Ring of Fire' region." Toronto-based consultant, Stan Sudol, added that the government should “accelerate road development into the Ring of Fire”, as it currently undergoes an Indigenous-led environmental assessments by Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations who support

7298-530: The various issues related to the Ring of Fire". The Action Plan noted that First Nations were interested in potential legacy impacts of Ring of Fire infrastructure, such as all-weather roads, links to the power grid and high-speed broadband Internet. Industry Canada's Broadband Canada was already laying 2,300 kilometers of fibre optic cable to 26 First Nations across the Far North, including the Ring of Fire. By 2013–2014 royalties collected from De Beers Victor Diamond Mine amounted to $ 226. At that time De Beers

7387-463: The wetlands, excluding the risk of leaks, include alterations of "hydrology, thermal regime, soil structure and vegetation of ecosystem". The Eagle’s Nest Mine is expected to produce “3,000 tonnes of ore per day, which will be mined by underground methods and processed to deliver 150,000 to 250,000 tonnes of nickel-bearing concentrate per year." According to Noront Resources, citing its extensive discussions with local communities and other stakeholders,

7476-560: The world's largest and highest-grade reserves of uranium and some of the world's major producers of nickel. A major mining exploration project is currently underway in the Ring of Fire region, centred on the district's isolated McFaulds Lake . Permanent roads ( Highway 599 ) only reach about halfway to the northernmost point of Kenora district, with the provincial highway network ending at Pickle Lake . Some more northerly communities connect seasonally through an ice / winter road network to

7565-482: Was appointed as chief negotiator to represent the nine different native governments— Marten Falls First Nation , Webequie First Nation , Neskantaga First Nation , Nibinamik First Nation , Aroland First Nation , Long Lake 58 First Nation , Ginoogaming First Nation , Eabametoong First Nation , Mishkeegogamang First Nation , and Constance Lake First Nation for the Matawa First Nations —in talks with

7654-499: Was continuing to pay off its "$ 1 billion investment to build the mine and from now until it closes, the company expects to pay tens of millions of dollars in royalties". By 2019, this number reached $ 110 million dollars in royalties to the Ontario government and a further $ 100 million in payments to social development and local communities in the region. Under the Liberal government of Kathleen Wynne , former Ontario premier Bob Rae

7743-465: Was intended to serve as a model for Crown-Indigenous relations on major resource-extraction projects." In late August 2019 in Rickford announced that the province of Ontario was dissolving the regional-framework agreement and that this would come into effect in 90 days. Rickford said that, "Frankly, to this point, it’s been a little complicated and lengthy, It has not necessarily met the timelines that

7832-535: Was required to cease drilling activities from March 31, 2012, until April 13, 2013, to ensure the First Nations' permit was granted under the Mining Act, and a permit issued by a Director of Exploration from the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines was obtained. Probe Mines owned the entire Victory Project, which consists of "452 claims totaling 7,232 hectares and covers the interpreted southeast extension of

7921-538: Was won from 27 mines in the Kenora district from 1880 to 1976," with "over 331 known gold occurrences." The more successful mines included the Bully Boy, Cameron Island, Champion, Combined, Cornucopia, Gold Hill, Golden Horn, Kenricia, Mikado, Oliver, Olympia, Ophyr, Regina, Scramble, Severn, Stella, Sultana, Treasure and Wendigo. Mining is currently extremely extensive in northern Kenora District, which contains some of

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