Noront Resources

Published On Sat Dec 19 2009

Can Ontario's north survive the battle for its riches?

Premier Dalton McGuinty coloured himself green 18 months ago when he announced he'd keep half of Ontario's unspoiled Far North off-limits to development and ensure no activity occurred in the remainder without a comprehensive land-use plan. His grand concept is in danger of unravelling.

The government's Far North Act, intended to enshrine the popular promise in law, has been delayed. Meanwhile, what critics call a "free-for-all" and northern "Wild West" is underway in the waterlogged expanse of shrubs and stunted black spruce, 1,000 kilometres north of the GTA.

Environmental and social damage is being caused by activity that, for now, centres on mining, particularly in a mineral-rich area known as the Ring of Fire, west of James Bay. "It's one of the most promising development opportunities in Northern Ontario for a long time," says the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Michael Gravelle.

McGuinty's policy aims to protect the environment of the 450,000-square-kilometre region – home to endangered species, nesting ground for millions of songbirds and a climate-change-fighting carbon storehouse – and benefit the 25,000 people, almost all aboriginal, who live in 36 isolated communities or First Nations.

Each community is to have its own development plan, meshing with the regional scheme. While there's no aboriginal veto, communities are to be consulted and will approve their local plans.

But something else is happening on the ground.

It's "the biggest staking rush in Canada since the diamond rush in the early '90s in the Northwest Territories," says Toronto-based White Pine Resources Inc., one of more than 100 companies involved.

In the past two years, the number of claims has doubled to 8,212, covering up to 20,000 square kilometres. Local people say exploration camps are littered with garbage and dozens of full fuel tanks have disappeared into the bog. An 1,850-metre airstrip is under way and planning has started on a 350-kilometre railway line.

Big players are arriving. Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources recently announced plans to buy Montreal's Freewest Resources for $150 million (all figures U.S.) and build an $800 million open-pit chromite mine.

"The Ring of Fire development is proceeding full steam ahead with very little government oversight and regional planning," the Toronto-based Wildlands League says in a recent letter to the Ministry of Natural Resources. Given the large mineral deposits, "decisions made now ... will likely support a path of development ... that will unfold over decades, if not centuries."

Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield insists planning and projects can proceed at the same time: "They both take so long ... it makes sense to do them concurrently."

But there's little evidence of the overall planning envisaged by the premier's announcement. Each project is considered in isolation: "No one is seeing the big picture until it's too late or the costs are too high," says Cheryl Chetkiewicz, a biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society-Canada, in Thunder Bay.

In fact, Cansfield's ministry says it can't speak about mining since that's under Gravelle's jurisdiction.

The process is creating conflict among communities. Most are impoverished and some, opting for short-term gain, are participating in projects. Others oppose what's going on. Several are squabbling over traditional lands.

The airstrip illustrates what's going wrong: An aboriginal group, Marten Falls Logistics, teamed with a non-native company to construct it, with buildings and access roads, near where Toronto-based Noront Resources Ltd. plans to extract nickel, copper and platinum.

Work began without a legally required environmental assessment. "We're conducting a little investigation as to how that happened," Cansfield says.

An assessment is belatedly under way, but won't impede the project. Nor will it examine anything beyond immediate impacts – serious enough from an environmental point of view. The airstrip will occupy an esker – a long strand of gravel deposited by glaciers – that's rare solid ground for caribou and other animals to travel on. Secure wildlife corridors are required for sustainable development.

The airstrip will accelerate mining, but that's beyond the environmental review's scope. As well, two other communities oppose Marten Falls' claim that the project is exclusively within its traditional territory. In a recent letter to Cansfield, one chief calls that idea "preposterous."

Both Cansfield and Gravelle repeat "consultation" and "engagement with communities" when asked whether the rush should be suspended while some semblance of regional order is created. Gravelle vaguely suggests a plan might be in the works. It's still early days, they say, as if there's some sort of guarantee things will work out.

Early days are when groundwork is laid. The current style of development suggests the Far North is, sadly, heading for business as usual rather than any new way.