April 26, 2016 | Dr. Mark Kuhlberg
In this commentary, Dr. Kuhlberg draws on the history of the pulp and paper mill in Dryden to explore the lack of progress in developing the Ring of Fire project over the past eight years. While the Dryden mill has struggled in recent years, it was once one of the largest facilities of its kind in Canada. Yet it took decades for this enterprise to reach an appreciable size, as its development was delayed by a complex mix of local, provincial, national and international factors. In many ways, these influences are not that different from those that are currently affecting the Ring of Fire. As a result, the early history of the Dryden mill serves as a cautionary tale and provides further context about the reality of natural resource development projects in Northern Ontario.