Leaside’s own Premier, Kathleen Wynne, was in Ottawa Thursday where she had a “productive meeting” with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The agenda appears to have been mainly about a remote mining district of Northern Ontario known as the Ring of Fire. Why Ring of Fire? Because Richard Nemis, a Sudbury lawyer who has promoted the area through its discovery period is a huge fan of Johnny Cash. The Ring of Fire’s enormous riches were revealed during airborne helicopter magnetic and electromagnetic surveys in the early years of the 21st century. That’s merely seven or eight years ago. It is said a proposed mining project could yield $60 billion in revenues. Others predict the coming together of Manitoba Hydro resources, which are very close to this part of Ontario, with chrome, nickel and iron ores could create the largest source of stainless steel in the world. There are also huge deposits of copper. You get the idea. So the Premier was talking to Mr. Harper about how to develop this area, and just how to pay for it. One little understood aspect of this valuable public asset is that there is no road or railway to the area. There will be a bit of money required to set the Ring of Fire aflame. Despite it’s name, the pattern of magnetic discoveries looks more like a crescent than a ring. But then, who knows what patterns might emerge when we get on the ground? The feds are on a stringent program to balance the budget.
