Mining Day on the Hill was an opportunity for Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger to rub elbows with the lead player in the Ring of Fire.
Bigger was part of a delegation from Sudbury who headed to Ottawa for the Mining Association of Canada’s (MAC) industry-government networking event on Nov. 21.
The annual get-together attracts mining executives, companies and federal bureaucrats to discuss policy and showcase technology.
In a Nov. 30 news release, Bigger said while there he bumped into Noront Resources president-CEO Alan Coutts to talk “about the importance of mining in our community, which was evident by the enthusiasm and representation that evening by our industry partners who are all optimistic about the future of mining and innovation in Greater Sudbury.”
Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and Thunder Bay are competing to be the host community for Noront’s proposed ferrochrome processing plant.
Noront sent out request for proposal (RFP) package to the four cities in early November. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 2.
Noront will be grading the proposals based on site, supporting infrastructure, skilled labour availability, and community support.
Also attending the event were MP Paul Lefebvre, city economic development staff, and representatives from NORCAT, Dynamic Earth, Hard-Line Solutions, SNOLAB, MIRARCO research institute and Laurentian University.
Bigger said the city used the opportunity to put on display “some of the truly incredible innovation taking place right here in our own community that has put us at the forefront of mining innovation and technology. I can assure you that when it comes to mining, we know how to captivate an audience.”
The city also used the occasion to promote to government funders the CLEER the (Clean, Low-Energy, Effective, Engaged and Remediated) Supercluster Initiative.
“It’s incredibly important that we as a community take pride in this sector and culture of innovation,” Bigger said, “as we are home to the largest integrated mining complex in the world with eight operating mines, two mills, two smelters, and a nickel refinery.
If that’s not enough, consider the over 14,000 residents who are employed in our local mining supply and services sector that generates over $4 billion in annual economic activity."
