MiningWatch Canada has weighed in on the Ring of Fire and its chromite deposits with its own economic assessment.
A report written by Joan Kuyek said the Northern Ontario mineral find is raising false hopes about economic boom times ahead because of the uncertainty in demand for stainless steel, the lack of infrastructure in the James Bay region, power supply problems and water management challenges.
The Ottawa-based environmental and social justice organization questions whether Ontario taxpayers should subsidize the development and if Queen's Park should be granting incentives such as a 10-year tax holiday.
In a Feb. 4 statement, MiningWatch spokesman Ramsey Hart said exploration activities have carried on “in the old fashioned, wild-west way.”
Hart said, “Despite promises to the contrary, the Ontario government has yet to play a leadership role in ensuring responsible exploration practices, adequate consultation and consent of First Nations, or conducting a sober review of the real potential of the chromite and other mineral deposits.”
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