Hello All,
I normally like to take a look at this forum for a brief period each day because I am a Noront stockholder waiting for the company to come into full flower. The forum has provided me with some very good information for due diligence and so I think it only fair that I try to give some back whenever the topic strays toward my area of expertise, as it has today.
A couple of weeks ago, I made my first post for the same reason. Somebody started talking about resource roads in the north with regard to access to Noront's claims. At that time, I mentioned that I have been a professional forester for many years and have been very directly involved in road construction in the northern "muskeg" country of Alberta and BC. The gist of my note was that in Canada, we do this all of the time throughout the north. In fact, we are the best in the world (bar none) at accessing resources from remote northern areas.
For anyone not directly exposed to the northern Canadian resource extraction industries (forestry, oil & gas, mining), it would be hard to imagine just how good our people are at this. Try to picture over a hundred kilometres of winter grade road (this is distinct from pure "ice roads", which are a different animal) that is constructed from completely undeveloped forest and "muskeg" in only a matter of weeks. This is followed by 150 loads per day (24/7 for close to 5 months) of hauling by very heavy 6 and 7 axle trucks. This is a typical scenario played out all over Canada's north every year. I have taken the uninitiated on these roads when they wanted to see what "we we were doing up there". It is a frightening experience for them on these tightly radio controlled roads (single lane with turnouts) when fully loaded off-highway trucks are bearing down upon you in an endless procession. Such exposure gives these people a real appreciation for just how efficiently Canada's natural resources are delivered every year. Do not doubt that Noront's resources will be delivered just as diligently and efficiently when the time comes. Also, do not doubt that the Noront management have pretty well worked out this aspect of things already in any case. This is a fundamental aspect of any resource play in the north and so the access is one of the first things that is worked out before too much investment is made. I would not presume to micro-manage the Noront team regarding such a fundamental issue.
Just to add to the above, it is important to note where the Noront claims actually are in the landscape up there. Although they are technically in the James Bay Lowlands, this is a bit misleading. They are actually right on the border of the lowlands and this is important when discussing access. If you look at a map of locations of First Nation communities in Northern Ontario, you will note that there are none in the middle of the James Bay Lowlands. They are either on the border of the lowlands, or right on the coast of the James and Hudson Bays. There is a reason for this. The lowlands are relatively inhospitable and difficult to move through. The heavily forested boreal forest area has far more diversity in landscape, wildlife, plantlife, etc... The First Nations, because they are intelligent and have thrived for thousands of years in northern Ontario, live in the areas that are more suited to human habitation and movement. Webequie, which is actually over 50 kilometres north of the claims, is situated on a beautiful (high and dry) peninsula that juts out into an equally beautiful, deep freshwater lake. I mention this because I wouldn't want anyone to have a mental picture that the area is nothing but a featureless, watery wasteland. It is not. Any road that is built to access Noront's claim does not have to travel a significant distance through the James Bay Lowlands. The bulk of it will travel through boreal forest interspersed with "muskeg". Much of this ground is high and dry and eminently suited for road construction. The "muskeg" portions are what they are and they will be managed accordingly and yes, there are quite a significant number of good gravel bearing eskers in the area that will help matters.
I hope this helps to ease peoples minds about the area and the potential for roads and resource movement. In Canada, we have gone to far more difficult places for natural resources than McFauld's Lake.
R.
