http://www.republicofmining.com/2010/04/15/pdac-2010-%E2%80%93-ring-of-fire-and-the-rebirth-of-ontario-mining-by-stan-sudol/

Without a doubt, Ontario’s mining sector was one of the top discussions at this year’s PDAC. The Ring of Fire mining camp, located in the muskeg swamps of the James Bay lowlands, 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, has almost single handedly heralded the rebirth of Ontario mining industry.

Richard E. Nemis and his daughter Jennifer Nemis

“For the 21st century, the discovery of chromite in the Ring of Fire could be as big as the discovery of nickel was in Sudbury in the 19th century. We are fully committed to working with Aboriginal Peoples and northern Ontarians to build on the Ring of Fire’s potential,” the recent Ontario Budget speech boldly claimed.

Tentative plans by Cleveland-based iron ore producer, Cliffs Natural Resource, call for a $1.3 billion investment including a concentrator, ferrochrome processing facility and a $600 million, 350 kilometre rail line in the north. Chromite, when smelted into ferrochromium alloys, is used in the production of stainless steel. There are no chromite mines in North America.

Thousands of construction jobs and promise of full-time employment for many Aboriginal communities in the north are welcome news to a region and province facing high unemployment and record budget deficits.

Not since the heady gold-rush days of the Hemlo discoveries in the early 1980s, has a mining development so influenced Ontario economics and politics.

(L to R) Award Presenter, Edward Thompson; Prospectors of the Year Winners, Mac Watson, Richard E. Nemis, John D. Harvey, Donald Hoy, Neil D. Novak

At a luxurious mining gala held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel – the mining sector’s version of the Academy Awards – the five men responsible for the Ring of Fire were given the prestigious PDAC Prospectors of the Year Award.

John D. Harvey, mining consultant, Donald Hoy, former Freewest’s VP Exploration, Richard Nemis, previous President and CEO Noront Resources, Neil D. Novak, President and CEO Spider Resources and Mac Watson, former Freewest President and CEO were recognized for the significant base-metals and chromite discoveries in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire.

Sudbury-born Richard Nemis says, “My heart will always belong to northern Ontario. It gives me great pleasure to see the potentially enormous economic boost the Ring of Fire discovery will have on the north, on Aboriginal communities and hopefully, on Sudbury’s world-class mining supply and service industry.”

Nemis is an ardent Johnny Cash fan and he was the promotional genius who nicknamed the discovery “Ring of Fire.” The area has the unique shape of a broken circle or crescent while the original deposits were the result of magma or molten rock from huge volcanic action.

He continues, “In fact, I think the Ring of Fire will rival the Sudbury basin and the economic impact of this discovery on the Ontario economy will probably run into the hundreds of billions of dollars over time!”

Next day at the PDAC Aboriginal Forum, Assembly of First Nations Yukon Regional Chief Eric Morris said, “In my territory, the Yukon First Nations are involved with the mineral resource industry in many capacities, ranging from partnership in mining operations to the creation of new companies that service the industry.”