Noront's vice-president of Aboriginal Affairs Glenn Nolan said if the company doesn't get its permits soon, a whole season of work to get its Eagle's Nest project off the ground will be lost. New exploration, laying the groundwork for the project's East West road from Pickle Lake and other work can only begin if the company gets permits so it can put together a plan and start purchasing equipment and use the short winter road season to start moving it.

Timelines and the whole project itself will be ambiguous if the province doesn't respond soon Nolan said during a Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce lunch Friday afternoon where Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle laid out his government's vision for the North.

"You're looking at a whole generation of lost opportunity," Nolan said.

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Babjak1 says, "Wynne, just has to release the permits to Noront ....so they don't lose another year. This would create a tremendous amount of healing and wellness in the shareholder, mining community and to those folks waiting for those jobs...

The cost is free...no 10 million from taxpayers required."

News Release

href="http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/community/ahws/index.aspx">Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy to help reduce family violence, violence against Aboriginal women and improve Aboriginal health, healing and wellness.

This strategy will support culturally appropriate programs and services in 250 Aboriginal communities across Ontario, including:

• New Healing Lodge sites to provide residential programs that address the underlying impacts of sexual assault, physical, mental and emotional abuse and family dysfunction
• Training for front-line workers in areas such as mental health and addictions, traditional healing practices, crisis intervention, grief counselling and family violence
• Funding to help address the high costs of delivering programs in northern remote and fly-in communities
• ongoing funding for http://www.talk4healing.com/" href="http://www.talk4healing.com/">Talk4Healing, a helpline for Aboriginal women in the North who have limited access to services

In addition, this funding will help address increasing demands for services by giving Aboriginal partners the flexibility to hire and train workers.

The investments affirm Ontario’s ongoing commitment to the work of the Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy, and responding to critical service needs in Aboriginal communities through programs that support healing and resiliency.