Anew agreement has been reached between a First Nations community and a nickel mining company that will soon see the “greenest” nickel mine in the world be built in Manitoba.
On Thursday, the Norway House Cree Nation (NHCN) and the Flying Nickel Mining Corporation announced in a media release they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will now see the two parties move forward on a project they said will see the lowest environmental impact nickel mine in the world be built on NHCN land.
NHCN is a First Nations community that sits about 450 kilometres north of Winnipeg, and is home to approximately 8,300 on-reserve community members.
While the facility itself will be built in a sustainable way to have as little impact as possible on the environment, NHCN Chief Larson Anderson said in a media release that it will also provide positive economic impacts for the community.
According to Larson, the mining operation will include a combination of jobs and training, and they anticipate the facility will create more than 100 jobs in the early development stage, and up to 450 jobs once the mine becomes fully operational.
“The Nation is committed to principles of economic sustainability, environmental stewardship, and self-determination that respects the NHCN Resource Management Area and its resources,” Anderson said
As well, according to the media release, four First Nations have also signed a Mineral Exploration and Development Cooperation MOU to share the benefits of mineral development from the facility, and that partnership will have earning potential in excess of $40 million over ten years for the First Nations involved.
The facility is expected to produce 37.5 million pounds of nickel annually, and the first steps in construction are expected to begin in the fall.