Everyone's talking about today's ferrochrome announcement

The following statements were issued today after an announcement this morning from City Hall that Noront Resources had chosen Sault Ste. Marie as the location for its new Ferrochrome Production Facility.

The statements below are from Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan, Ward 3 City Councillor Matthew Shoemaker, and the Ministery of Energy, Northern Development and Mines:

Sault MP Terry Sheehan is delighted to see Sault Ste. Marie chosen as the partner community for the development of Noront Resources’ new Ferrochrome Production Facility.

Sheehan believes this project is a perfect example of how different levels of government can work together, putting aside partisan politics, to achieve a common goal for Sault Ste. Marie and area.

MP Sheehan first met with Noront management shortly after being elected in 2015 and has met several times with them since, in Ottawa, Toronto, and the Sault actively supporting the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s bid to have Noront Resources base their new Ferrochrome Production Facility in Sault Ste. Marie.

Sheehan is chair of the Northern Ontario Liberal Caucus and is pleased that Noront has chosen the “Sault” as its partner community and wanted to thank the other communities in the North for their participation. “From the beginning, I believed that Sault Ste. Marie is unquestionably the best location for Noront’s facility,” Sheehan said.

Sheehan said the Government of Canada is committed to protecting the environment, consulting with all people including indigenous communities, while growing our economy. “I have said many times that the economy, job creation and the environment go hand in hand,” he said.

“My number one priority as MP for the Riding of Sault Ste. Marie has been jobs and our local economy. Being able to achieve a vibrant economy, while actively protecting our environment, and consulting broadly with the public, community leaders, local business and industry, and indigenous peoples, will continue through the development process. The extensive research and resulting innovative ideas are making it possible to transform our economy in extraordinary ways.” - Terry Sheehan, MP Sault Ste. Marie

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Statement from Ward 3 City Councillor Matthew Shoemaker on Noront's selection of Sault Ste. Marie as host community for the ferrochrome smelter:

This is a great day for Sault Ste. Marie. After a thorough and competitive process, Noront has determined our community is the ideal place to do business in Northern Ontario.

As we embark on the next phase of Noront’s due diligence, there will be many questions, many answers, and a lot of leg work needed to move this project forward.

I look forward to working with Noront, City Council and our Provincial and Federal governments to ensure today’s enthusiasm translates into real results tomorrow.

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Noront Resources announced today that Sault Ste. Marie will be the home for a new ferrochrome processing plant.

Chromite, one of the resources found in the Ring of Fire, can be processed into ferrochrome, a key ingredient in stainless steel.

"This is tremendous news for the city of Sault Ste. Marie," said Ross Romano, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. "This project has the potential to create hundreds of direct jobs benefiting the skilled workers and manufacturing experts who call Sault Ste. Marie home. It's clear Northern Ontario is open for business and open for jobs."

Noront's ferrochrome processing plant has the potential to create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs across Northern Ontario.

The Ring of Fire represents a major economic opportunity to create jobs, generate revenue, build infrastructure and bring prosperity to communities across the North, including First Nation communities.

"Our government has been clear on our commitment to make Ontario open for business and open for jobs," said Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. "Today's announcement confirms that commitment while offering Northern Ontario the opportunity to continue to grow its manufacturing sector."

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