Marathon campaigns for local palladium mine The Town of Marathon is out to make a good impression.
A proposed open-pit palladium mine project is undergoing scrutiny through an environmental assessment (EA) process this fall and the north shore community of 3,300 is determined to show its support for the mining industry.
A government-appointed environmental review panel is scheduled to arrive in Marathon this week for a site visit.
Marathon Mayor Rick Dumas said when they do they'll see lawn signs displaying Marathon Supports Mining and other demonstrations of support for Generation Mining and its Marathon Project.
"We want for them to recognize that Marathon supports mining."
The town has been without an anchor industry since Marathon Pulp went bankrupt in 2009, shuttering the mill and throwing 240 people out of work.
Generation Mining's palladium and copper mine figures to be a game changer for Marathon with 1,000 construction jobs and 400 direct mining jobs.
The main zone of palladium sits 10 kilometres north of the community, which sits on the north shore of Lake Superior, roughly halfway between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay. The development also includes a mill and a tailings facility for waste rock.
The combined federal and provincial EA process was put on hold back in 2014 when the project's then-owners, Stillwater Mining, decided to mothball the project after palladium prices tanked.
The EA process restarted last fall after being shelved for six years when Toronto's Generation Mining acquired a controlling position in the Marathon project two summers ago and, after extensive exploration, announced plans to push forward on a mine development.