Proposed smelter could create up to 450 jobs

Cliffs Natural Resources said its plans for a ferrochrome smelter are getting a warm welcome in Sudbury. The U.S.-based company is looking at building the smelter north of Capreol.

Tuesday night, it held an open house in the community.

Rick Felice said there's been a lot of buzz in Capreol about a smelter that may be built north of the community.

"(Im) kind of excited about the fact that they're even here, so I figured I had to attend and see what was going on," the Capreol resident said.

The smelter would refine ore from a chromite mine Cliffs is planning to build in the James Bay lowlands.

The company said the smelter will create 350 to 450 jobs, during construction and operation.

Peter and Lynne Wade have a camp about three kilometres from the proposed site. They said they're not opposed to the smelter, but they want more details about emissions and the 2,000 tonnes of slag the company said the smelter would generate each day.

"We use that area," Peter Wade said.

"We go up and pick blueberries in the spring. There's some people that go up and pick fiddleheads. We fish all summer. And then in the fall we get grouse and there's deer and moose that we hunt."

Cliffs said it will have more information on pollutants for people like the Wades. The company is currently doing an environmental assessment, which includes air and water quality studies.

Cliffs won't say when it will decide on the location for the ferrochrome smelter a few northern Ontario communities are wooing the company for this plant.