Cliffs' smelter 'great opportunity for Capreol'

Excitement is mounting in Capreol after this week's announcement that a new chromite smelter may be built north of the town.

The facility would bring close to 450 jobs to the community.

But some residents, like Don Pratt, are wondering how that might impact their lives as the town could get a lot busier in if Cliffs Natural Resources puts a smelter nearby.

"You're going to have a lot of extra traffic," Pratt said. "But you gotta give to get, eh?"

Pratt said, overall, its not a bad thing. Capreol used to be a busier place. The proposed site of the smelter is at Moose Mountain, which was a mine before it shut down in the 1970s.

David Bateman said he hopes the new smelter will mean more customers.

He runs a graphic design business and has a sign in the door saying "Welcome Cliffs."

"I thought it was a great way to show our appreciation and put up a little welcome sign for them," Bateman said.

The welcome sign will need to stay up for a while, however, as Cliffs isnt expected to get the smelter up and running until 2015, at the earliest.

The company still has to go through an environmental assessment and is also working on a hydro deal with the provincial government.

"Well I think its a great opportunity for Capreol," Bateman said. "I just sincerely hope the community and Cliffs can work together for mutual benefit."