The City of Sault Ste. Marie is formalizing its bid for Noront Resources’ chromite processing plant.
On Nov. 6, the city issued a news release indicating it had moved to the next stage to be considered for the facility, forming a team to handle its bid.
“With our strategic location, transportation infrastructure, talent and other competitive advantages, we’re making the case that our community is the prime site to host this project,” said Dan Hollingsworth, executive director of business development for the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation, in the release.
“We look forward to working with our partners on preparing a response that exceeds Noront’s expectations.”
Hollingsworth will serve as project lead; additional team members include:
- Al Horsman, chief administrative officer with the City of Sault Ste. Marie;
- Tom Vair, deputy CAO of community development and enterprise services with the City of Sault Ste. Marie; and
- Nevin Buconjic, manager of trade investment and community marketing for the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation.
Other expert resources and partners will be brought in to assist the project team in developing Sault Ste. Marie’s response. In addition, discussions will be held with Indigenous communities, and community forums will be organized to provide an opportunity to share information and obtain feedback on this initiative.
“We’ve put together a strong project team and are committed to a thorough and thoughtful process,” said Sault Mayor Christian Provenzano.
“We will work hard to assess this opportunity and construct a compelling response that our community can be proud of and support. This will require working with our First Nation neighbours, community stakeholders and a broad and substantive community engagement.”
Noront Resources Inc., a Canadian-based mining firm, has the largest land position in the Ring of Fire, an emerging multi-metals area located in the James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario. The company is looking to establish a facility in the region to process ferrochrome, which is used to produce stainless steel.
