I've been assuming that it would be the FN communities that would be the biggest hurdle for the RoF companies, but am I wrong in assuming that??

This exerpt from the article seems very encouraging to me:

If the province acted, Noront's environmental assessment could be reviewed, revised and approved within weeks, and it could "earnestly" go back to markets to arrange financing.

Coutts is convinced his company could reach impact benefit agreements with the three First Nations located near Eagle's Nest -- Marten Falls, Webequie and Neskantaga -- while the larger framework agreement is nailed down.

"There's big community support" for the nickel mine, said Coutts. "I like the communities. The communities are great. They like the development. They want to do it with someone they like and trust, and I think they want to do it with us."

Noront is saying to the province: "We've spent a lot of time in communities, we know them, they know us ... we're struggling to understand what else we can do here."

The framework agreement is between the provincial government and the Matawa, and I fear it would be a big mistake if the provincial government were to move first, issuing permits to NOT in order for NOT to make IBA's with a minority of the Matawa communities. It would be easy to argue that the provincial government was trying to devide the Matawa communities, and sadly IMO this i exactly why a big agreement has to be formalised first, before industry specific agreements.

However if NOT could get the Matawa's accept of the plan to make IBA's with the three FN communities, before permits were issued, that might prevent critisism from the FN.

In that case I think NOT wouldn't have a hard time getting the permits from the provincial government. Anything else would be illogical. I still think Wynne fears the FN more than the Spanish Inquisition. IMO the reason for this is that she is running a political party that should be percieved as a responsible FN friendly party focused on the long term prosperity of the FN in Ontario, and for that reason critisism from the people that she is supposed to be helping makes her affraid to act.

As a side note, I was rather glad when the Liberals won the provincial election because they were committed to developing the RoF, and the same minister in the same government signalled continuety to me. But of course the Conservatives might have had an easier time getting the federal government to come to the table with matching funding. I had not forseen that it would take the leader of the most populous province in Canada 396 days to get a meeting of 45 minutes with the Prime Minister of Canada. At the same time I would be be fearfull that the provincial Conservatives (had they won the election) would be overly industy friendly, thus rushing permits and so on, consequently stepping on all the wrong toes of the FN, so we would end up with opposition and blocades for the next 100 years or so from the FN, whenever they were dissatisfied with something.

Anyway to end on a positive note, it's great work NOT has done over the years to build good relations with the FN communities. They are truely a mining company for the future. The FN communities and the provincial government would be wise to embrace and even promote that.

GLTA NOT longs!