Previously I have written about a rail line connecting Marathon on Lake Superior with Attawapiskat on James Bay, linking the Ring of Fire and the Victor Diamond Mine to more avenues of export. The southern portion of this rail line from Marathon to Nakina would be on already existing tracks or formerly existing lines. However, the northern portion will be built across the muskeg of the James Bay Lowlands, and will require significant infrastructure in its construction.
Personally I am familiar with highway construction, having previously worked in the sector for a few years and coming from a family who has worked in all facets of that sector as well. Building a highway across muskeg or swampy areas involves the removal of the soft earth and replacing it with blasted bedrock, creating a firm base upon which traffic can drive, and will withstand the frost cycles. Rail line construction is similar, however the materials used can be different. Generally speaking, rail line construction uses materials that do not need as much compaction, hence why mine slag is used on some rail lines. This is where my suggestions come in. Instead of blasting out new quarries to supply the aggregates needed for the rail bed, its construction can be made with already existing stockpiles.
Sudbury has plenty of slag piles from the nickel mines, and they are being continuously added to taking up more and more room, and while they may be fascinating to some, they can be unsightly. I propose hauling the slag not only from the stockpiles in Sudbury, but from mines all over Northern Ontario to the Ring of Fire rail line. Scattered across Northern Ontario there are piles upon piles of excavated rock sitting next to operating mines, being added to daily. The at present 'worthless' rock is piling up (an example are the mines along Hwy 17 near Wawa), never to be used, these man-made mountains are a testament to our society's wastefulness and lack of ingenuity.
This wouldn't be the first time that mining refuse will be used in the construction of a transportation corridor, but I feel its a solution to a few problems. Mining companies need to buy property and use up space to store the refuse, they need to pay fees and commission environmental studies to determine the suitability of the ground being requested for such stockpiles. Moving those stockpiles would decrease the footprint mining operations have on the local environment, and ease their budgets slightly.
The logistics to move these mountains of blasted bedrock and slag would not be monumental. Most mines are connected by rail lines, used to ship the heavy materials that have been extracted. Throw a few more trains on these lines during the construction of the Ring of Fire rail line and within a short manner of time the stockpiles will have been reduced and the rail line will be built on a solid base.
The handling of this operation could be done by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, utilizing their rolling stock to move the materials. This would revitalize the ONTC, giving them a boost, and doing what they do best: building a stronger Northern Ontario. While this could mean the purchasing of new locomotives and additional rail cars, it would also mean the use of those that may be sitting unused. Not only would this have a great affect on the ONTC, it would also create local jobs at the mine sites while the construction of the rail line is ongoing. Workers and machinery would be needed to load the materials onto the rail cars, as well for the construction of any spur lines that may be required to get to some stockpiles (these spur lines may even be utilized after the stockpiles have been depleted and could benefit the mining operations themselves).
A big question is the cost of all of this. Either way it will cost billions to have this rail line built, in whatever shape or form it takes. The movement of the mining refuse will not come cheaply, however it could be made cost effective. Instead of the government expropriating land for quarries and paying to do so, they could simply draw from an already existing source. Now, does the province pay for the refuse, or do the cooperating mining operations simply get some sort of rebate?
Private industry would obviously be looking at how it could make a buck, while the province would be looking at how it could save that same dollar. This may prove to be the most contentious issue about my proposal. I see it as a win-win for all parties. The incentives that could be given to the mining companies could be a number of things: waving of environmental fees in exchange for the rock; a possible reduction in mining royalties (not my favourite idea); contracts to move the rock themselves; or a the softening of other associated fees involved.
Ultimately it would be preferential if both sides saw the positives with this proposal: the province doesn't go deeper in debt in an attempt to rescue itself from its ever increasing deficit; private industry is presented with a solution to reduce costs and environmental impact. Additionally, new rail lines and access points built across Northern Ontario would only boost the economy, giving new avenues for exporting the materials, and increasing the ONTC's portfolio by expanding further out from its Northeastern corridor with increased business.
We should not forget the ever slumping forestry sector in this proposal. Simply put, the rail ties used on this new line should come solely from Northern Ontario, making it a northern line, northern built, with northern materials, with the royalties to benefit infrastructure, investment, and economic development in the north. The supply of rail ties across the proposed thousands of kilometres of rail lines would not alone rescue the sector, but it could give a small spike into northern forestry where it is desperately needed.
Also worth addressing is the environmental impact associated with the building of this rail line. The pristine and up-to-now untouched areas surrounding and including the Ring of Fire will be forever changed. Not everything will come without consequences. Perhaps the use of mining slag will prove to be unsound in the view of environmental conscientiousness. But whatever way this rail line will be built, it will require a base made of aggregate that is found few and far between in the lands north of Nakina. However this rail line is built, 'foreign' sources of material will need to be brought in. What better than natural bedrock that has been removed, is uncontaminated, and is simply sitting in stockpiles scattered across the north?
Pulling all of these together, the province, the private sector mines, the ONTC, local communities, will have so many positives for Northern Ontario that the Ring of Fire should be a game changer. The Ring of Fire is destined to reshape the northern economy. If an approach is taken that includes all stakeholders, it could reverse the fortunes of the north, it could drastically reduce the unemployment rate, and inject cash flow back into the northern communities and pave a way to a prosperous future.
