Cliffs suspends environmental assessment work in Ring of Fire, for now

OTTAWA – Mining development in the Ring of Fire region in remote northern Ontario has hit another snag.

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. says it is calling a temporary halt to its environmental assessment activities for a major chromite mine in the area.

The company says the suspension is due to delays related to the environmental process, land surface rights and negotiations with the Ontario government about building infrastructure in the fly-in-only region.

Senior vice-president Bill Boor says the company is talking to the provincial government and First Nations from the area in the hopes of eventually restarting the environmental assessment.

Both the federal and provincial governments have high hopes for billions of dollars of investment in the Ring of Fire — development they hope will bring prosperity to struggling First Nations and royalties to their own coffers.