FUTURE INDUSTRY

To process chromite ore to ferrochrome from mining operations in the Ring of Fire, Noront Resources Ltd. formalized a bidding process for communities who were interested in hosting their Ferrochrome Processing Facility (FPF). The processing of chromite ore to produce ferrochrome for stainless steel results in the production and release of a highly carcinogenic compound, Chromium VI into the atmosphere and water. The toxic effects of Chromium VI have been highlighted in the Erin Brockovich story.

 
The City of Sault Ste. Marie was successful in their FPF proposal bid over the three other communities of Timmins, Sudbury, and North Bay. There was little public notice and consultation by the city prior to submitting its proposal to Noront. A location for the FPF was selected on Algoma Steel Inc. (ASI) property along the Great Lakes. There were concerns from the public and local doctors about the health and environmental impacts, and the importance of the Great Lakes as source of our fresh drinking water.

 
The city's bid was endorsed by many letters of support including letters from local M.P. Terry Sheehan, M.P.P. Ross Romano, and some current city councillors. The FPF proposal was prepared by the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation (SSM EDC) for the city. It was never made public. The EDC also created a website to educate the public on the project itself, progress on stages of the project and updates related to its construction. The website is longer active and was removed by the EDC despite Noront stating that the FPF is still expected to be constructed in Sault Ste. Marie. Batchewana First Nation and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewas Indians have asserted their rights not to endorse the project to protect our health and the environment. 

 
Despite the cost and effort to prepare the proposal, the city has stated they do not have a copy of the bid proposal. The details can only be released to the public with a freedom of information request to the SSM EDC. Considering the importance and commitment required for this project, it is expected that the city inform the public of environmental and health impacts considered when preparing their proposal. Effective public consultation by all stakeholders is necessary for any projects with potentially serious impacts to our health and the environment especially considering the city and EDC actively worked to bring this project to our city. 

The FPF is seen by many local politicians as "diversifying the local economy".  However, the need for ferrochrome is impacted by the demand from the steel industry and it shares commons issues such as the price fluctuations of metallurgic coal and rising energy costs.  

The Canadian Press - November 21, 2021 :

"And the chief executive of Algoma Steel is hoping the company's costly investment to make "green steel" will help to insulate it from the kinds of sector-wide downturns that previously threw it into bankruptcies."

"I would never say never, but we are certainly doing everything in our power to certainly minimize, if not eliminate that risk," says chief executive Michael McQuade, who has plans to reduce the company's carbon emissions by about 70 per cent."

Source: https://www.castanet.net/news/Business/352257/Canadian-steelmakers-embrace-green-steel-as-carbon-taxes-set-to-rise

The city continues its historical reliance on the steel industry despite our changing climate and need for a truly diverse and healthy economy:

"The presence of the steel plant did not, however, generate the growth of diversified manufacturing, because of the absence of a large local market. An unbalanced economy resulted, in which the fortunes of the entire community became linked with those of the steel industry. There is no great variety of industrial employment to provide a buffer against general business curtailment when adverse economic conditions or labour-management strife affects the steel industry. There is, likewise, no development of general light manufacturing to provide employment for female labour."

-  Leonard L. Prior, "Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma Steel Corporation, Ltd.", 1956.

The environment along with the public consultation process appeared to be an after thought when our political leadership and the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation (EDC) prepared a bid for the Noront FPF project. Mayor Provenzano stated, "We showed them the path forward". Local politicians were emphasizing the "strict" permitting processes, the need for more public consultations and their apparent "unbiased" approach to the project. Councillor Matthew Shoemaker in his letter of support dated January 16, 2018, stated, "We want to be the partners Noront Resources (Noront) needs for the next 100 or more years so that we can grow together and succeed together". 

M.P.P. Ross Romano remains the strongest proponent for this project and the construction of the road to the Ring of Fire since writing his four-page letter of support for the Sault's FPF bid. In that letter dated January 24, 2018, he stated, "The FPF will never be built if the road to the Ring is not completed and with that knowledge, I will not stop fighting to make sure that it does". That determination was followed by Premier Doug Ford who is stated in the Sault Star on September 18, 2019, as saying “The Ring of Fire is absolutely critical for our administration,” Ford said. “You will see me on that bulldozer, it’s one of our highest priorities for the government and the province.” 

Noront CEO and President, Alan Coutts, has changed his position regarding who would ultimately pay to build the road since he first spoke of the Ring of Fire. In 2016, he stated, “KWG is interested in developing infrastructure, and I would say, we’re the miners, we control all the deposits. I don’t really care who builds the infrastructure. If it’s the provincial government, great; if it’s the Chinese, that’s great too.”  In 2019, he stated," “What we have decided to do is, instead of the typical model where the resource company like Noront, would develop the infrastructure, the road to access the Ring of Fire. We’ve chosen to push that back to the province who in turn has engaged the local First Nations to be the proponents of that infrastructure. …The province of Ontario is bankrolling the process.”    

The prospect of a road and the progress advertised by the Conservative government is supported by one of Noront's former board members, Minister Greg Rickford. Premier Ford has appointed him to three key cabinets positions vital to eliminating what they describe as "red tape" and any impediments to developing the Ring of Fire. Since he is the Minister of Energy and Mines, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, this can effectively limit public consultations and make the decision process easier to develop the road to the Ring of Fire.