There’s a long road ahead to get to the Ring of Fire.
At 340 kilometres, a proposed road to mineral deposits in the James Bay Lowlands has led to Cliffs Natural Resources filing for 123 sand and gravel permits along the road in order to build it.
”In my experience that is very rare I don’t think it’s happened before,” Ministry of Natural Resources Gary Davies said of the permits filed by Cliffs in that latter part of 2012.
But while the permits have been accepted by the ministry they can’t be approved until an environmental assessment of the project is complete, a process that is just beginning.
Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle said the submitted permits don’t mean that the road is going ahead. Other companies looking to develop the Ring of Fire have suggested rail would be a better option.
“(Cliffs is) trying to prepare and get ready for the future,” Gravelle said. “This is a part of the process that’s pretty darn important.”
“There are other discussions that are going as well.”
The crown would receive royalties from the aggregate, should the road and permits be approved. In an email, Cliffs said that it is continuing to work on feasibility studies and the environmental assessment.
“We will continue to explore these potential resources sufficiently to determine what amount of aggregate is actually available. Cliffs believes there will be potential business opportunities for First Nation communities,” the company stated.
