TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – A poll released on Thursday revealed that First Nations living in the remote far northern reaches of Ontario, including near the latent Ring of Fire minerals-rich district, would be more agreeable to allow mining projects to take root near their communities if the mines were to make use of renewable energy and the local workforce.

Oraclepoll Research CEO Paul Seccaspina told delegates attending the Renewables and Mining Summit and Exhibition, in Toronto, that interviews with 200 members of the Matawa group of First Nations, between September 26 and October 2, pointed to strong support among residents for renewable sources of electricity.

When asked whether respondents would support a mine project in or near their communities, if it was to use renewable-energy sources, 56% of respondents said they would, and 53% said they would give support to a mine that were to employ 25% or more of the workers from the local First Nations communities.

Seccaspina pointed out that, among the renewable options available, 81% of respondents preferred solar energy versus 52% preferring wind power solutions. However, when it came to nuclear power, 70% said they opposed it, and 65% were opposed to natural gas-derived electricity sources.

Environmental Communication Options, a firm actively engaged in a range of renewable, resource-focused and First Nation issues, commissioned the poll. The poll asked questions regarding views around energy options to Northern Ontario; trade-offs between mining operations setting up shop next to communities and the appetite among First Nations for renewable energy provided by miners.

About 40% of respondents said they would support a new mine project if it supplied the community with cheaper electricity. The respondents were clear that if a mine did not employ local community members (85%), or if it did not employ community members but rather paid a fee to the community (55%), they would not support those projects.

The respondents also revealed that they were not really willing to pay more for electricity from sustainable sources, but they showed strong support for renewable initiatives. Seventy-one per cent felt that the province was not doing enough to promote renewable energy among the communities.