Rate of exploration draws environmentalist concerns


Over the past two years, there has been a surge in mining claims staked throughout Ontario.

The mining boom has even expanded into the James Bay lowlands region where more than 2,000 claims were hurriedly staked in the six months following the 2007 provincial election when the Liberal government declared it would revisit the Mining Act.

Unbeknownst to most Ontarians, there has recently been an escalation in the flurry of mining activity in the Far North in an area known as the Ring of Fire some 240 kilometres west of James Bay and north of the Albany River, shattering once pristine habitat.

While the southern boreal forest is severely fragmented, the landscape crisscrossed by roads and cleared for industrial activity, the Northern boreal is supposed to be ecologically intact. Moreover, Premier Dalton McGuinty declared in 2008 that at least half of this precious land mass and enormous carbon storehouse would be protected while land-use planning that emphasized sustainable development would guide the future use of the other half.

Indeed, Ontario's Northern boreal region represents one of the last intact, original forests remaining on the planet. Beyond the northern reaches of the forest lies tundra, which supports one of the earth's largest, continuous wetlands.

In the heart of the James Bay lowlands, a large depression was created when a meteor struck the earth resulting in an unusually high concentration of metals, including nickel, copper and zinc, being pushed close to the surface. Today, exploration and staking activities have reached a feverish pitch with nearly 40 junior and intermediate mining and exploration companies active within the Ring of Fire.

This fall, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., a major U.S. mining company, announced plans to join the frenzy in the Ring of Fire and invest $800 million to build an open-pit mine and facilities to process chromite into ferrochrome, a key ingredient to make stainless steel. Meanwhile, Canada Chrome, a subsidiary of KWG Resources Inc., holds claims in the eastern side of the Ring of Fire and has announced its intention to develop a 200-kilometre rail corridor. Noront Resources Ltd. is ramping up plans for full-scale development that includes building an air strip.

None of these massive projects is subject to a full environmental assessment.

Instead, staking, exploration and plans to build infrastructure is proceeding apace without any apparent government oversight.

This is in flagrant contravention of the Premier's promise to protect this region. There is no public consultation. First Nations communities are not leading the decision-making process and there is no acknowledgement of the ecological importance of this remarkable region.

Historically, logging, mining and hydro development have been allowed generous access to the southern boreal forest, thereby damaging the integrity of a vital ecosystem.

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The same pattern is now emerging, in the Northern boreal where development is occurring faster than scientists and First Nations communities can record information on sensitive areas. Industrial activity is chopping up Canada's boreal forest at a rate of about 1% a year -a rate of loss that is comparable to the pace of destruction in tropical rainforests.

These activities have taken a toll on wide-ranging mammals such as the woodland caribou and the wolverine - indicator species for the health of our boreal forest. Both are now designated as species at risk in Ontario.

In Ontario, the provincial government made a choice when it announced it would protect the ecological significance of the Northern boreal region. It chose to consider the natural values of the landscape and not just the short-term value of its resources.

It chose to proceed with development only after proper sustainability-based planning and environmental requirements had been met. Now it is time to make good on its promise.

Peter Rosenbluth

Northern Connections Co-ordinator Ontario Nature, Thunder Bay

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