Northern Manitoba nickel mine expected to provide jobs, multimillion-dollar economic boost

A new mine in northern Manitoba is expected to create hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in economic spinoff for Indigenous communities, according to the First Nation and the mining company partnering on the project.

Norway House Cree Nation and the Flying Nickel Mining Corporationhave signed a memorandum of understanding to move ahead with the Minago Nickel Project, which is being touted as the "greenest nickel mine," according to a Thursday news release from the partners.

Norway House Chief Larson Anderson and Flying Nickel president Dan Oosterman announced the signing Thursday.

The project's aim is to create the lowest-environmental impact nickel mine in the world, while ensuring Norway House and neighbouring First Nations reap the economic and employment benefits of the project, the release said.

Norway House is committed to "principles of economic sustainability, environmental stewardship, and self-determination,"Chief Anderson said in the release.

The Minago Nickel Project will be located adjacent to Highway 6, about 225 kilometressouth of Thompson and 100 kilometresnorth of Grand Rapids. The land sits within Norway House's resource management area.

Once fully operational, the mine could produce more than 17,000 tonnesof nickel annually, Thursday's news release said.

Four First Nations have signed a mineral exploration and development co-operation memorandum of understanding to share the benefits of mineral development, which has an earning potential upwards of $40 million over 10 years, per the release.

Norway House and other nearby First Nations would become the first-choice supplier for employment, goods and services estimated at $100 million annually.

Additionally, Norway House is working with the federal government to add to its reserve land near the development site.

Flying Nickel says it's committed to environmentally responsible mineral exploration and development, including using current mining technologies and mineral processing, and relying onthe province's renewable electricity generation to power the project.

More than 100 jobs are expected to be created during early stages of the mine's development and limestone operations. That number would increase to up to 450 once the mine is fully operational, the release said.

The partners intend to approach the province to establish a training program that would match local First Nations members with training opportunities to meet employment needs.

An offshoot of the mining project is a cleaner version of limestone known as CO2 dolomite.

Norway House and Flying Nickel have agreed to develop a jointly owned limestone quarry project based at the mine's site that could produce up to 11 million tonnes of limestone per year, with a 10-year earning potential in the neighbourhood of $450 million for Norway House, according to the release.

In turn, this limestone quarry could facilitate the creation of a low-emitting cement available in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.