Chamber of Commerce to release new Ring of Fire report

On March 11, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, plans to release a followup to a report last year, Beneath the Surface, that called the Ring of Fire chromite and base metal deposit a “national priority.”

The new report, called "Where are we now? A Report Card on Ontario's Ring of Fire," is expected to look at where development of the Ring of Fire stands in 2015.

In the 2014 report, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce said the Ring of Fire could contribute up to $9.4 billion to Canada's gross domestic product, generate up to $6.2 billion for Ontario's mining industry, and sustain up to 5,500 full-time jobs annually.

The chamber said in "Beneath the Surface" that there remain key challenges ahead in dealing with the lack of infrastructure to reach these stranded mineral deposits: a shortage of skilled labour, the need to finalize agreements with First Nations, and in finding ways to reduce the impact of mining in one of the world’s largest wetlands.

Both chambers of commerce will present the followup report at Dynamic Earth, where they will also host a panel discussion with parties who are closely involved with the Ring of Fire.

The panellists will include Paul Semple, the chief operating officer with junior miner Noront Resources, and Moe Lavigne, vice-president of exploration and development with KWG Resources.

Both companies own stakes in the Ring of Fire.