Premier Dalton McGuinty hopes a massive northern ore deposit will be the motherlode for Ontario's economy but critics are warning of an environmental disaster akin to the Alberta tar sands.
At stake is the development of one of the world's largest untapped deposits of chromite, used to make stainless steel.
With aboriginal leaders demanding a greater say in any such project in a vast area west of James Bay, McGuinty is gambling he will be able to appease critics. The scheme is a key pillar in the premier's five-year plan, known as Open Ontario, to boost the lagging economy.
By making the development a cornerstone of Monday's throne speech, the premier is giving the controversial project the government's stamp of approval.
But the executive director of Ontario Nature, one of the province's oldest conservation organizations, warned that unchecked development in the James Bay lowlands could destroy wildlife habitat, contaminate nearby lakes, rivers and soil, and damage the boreal forest, a globally significant carbon bank.
McGuinty said Ontario wants to pursue development "in a responsible way, keeping with our plan to protect the north and make sure we have all the partners at the table. Source...
