I don't mean to stir the pot, but I have to point out something:
For many stakeholders, it doesn't really matter if the ROF gets developed next year or in 2022.
The longer that I'm here, the more that point becomes obvious to me.
This IS a huge opportunity, not just a simple mine or a single company. This has the possibility of being the third, second, or even the largest mining complex in Canadian history. If it's going to be around for a century, supporting work for possibly a dozen mining companies and thousands of smaller companies, then "getting it right" makes sense.
Of course, I have significant investments in Noront and KWG, so at times I'm pretty impatient. And the FN's could certainly stand to have their living conditions improved sooner rather than later. And for the companies such as Noront and KWG that are on a cash-flow lifeline, yes, development needs to happen ASAP.
But for all the other stakeholders - for the governments, for the public, for the long-term good of the FN communities - there's no need to rush. The ore is in the ground. It'll still be there in a few years.
I know there will be a lot of dissenting opinions to what I've just written, but if we stop for a minute and pretend that we're not shareholders, and think about this from the point of view of the other 35 million plus Canadians who have no direct financial stake in these projects, and who might occasionally read about this in the newspaper, another couple years is not going to make a big difference. Getting this right from the start, with full FN support and participation, will be worth the delay. The last thing we need is a decade of FN road blockades and shutdowns, once mines start to develop.
Good lord, I can't believe that I'm, for the first time ever, admitting that maybe Gravelle has a good point. Please don't mistake this with being pleased about his public performance and communications skills.
My worry is that KWG and/or Noront will go bankrupt before that point. That's a risk, and that would be a real setback to my long-term financial plans (ie. wanting to retire two or three years from now). My investments (aka. gambles) in KWG and Noront may turn my "Freedom 55" intentions into a pipe dream.
We should have a poll to see how many people think we'll still be debating and waiting for infrastructure announcements on September 15th, 2017. I give it 80% odds, with the next provincial election not happening until June 7th, 2018.
I wonder how that drill program is progressing.
