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The community is entering the next phase in a major investment attraction initiative to secure a ferrochrome processing plant. Today, the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation received a package from Noront Resources Inc. seeking information on the city’s interest in hosting the facility.
“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. “We look forward to working with our partners on preparing a response that exceeds Noront’s expectations.”
With Hollingsworth serving as the Project Lead, a team has been assembled to gather information and reply to this request. The 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 & 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 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.