TORONTO – In early April, Shadi Ramos and Fionn Byrne, two Landscape Architecture instructors from the University of Toronto, launched a 40 day Kickstarter campaign for research on the Ring of Fire.
The Ring of Fire is set to be the largest infrastructural project in Canada second only to the oil sands of Alberta. Situated in the James Bay Lowlands of northern Ontario, the potential development area is 540 km north of Thunder Bay and another 1,400 km north of Toronto. This 5,000km2 crescent shaped deposit of chromite, nickel and platinum group metals is thought to be worth as much as $50 billion and will require massive investment in infrastructure and housing to make the mining project operational. The area’s economy and ecology will be drastically changed in the coming years.
Trained as landscape architects, Ramos and Byrne are uniquely positioned to study and document the existing biophysical and sociocultural conditions surrounding the Ring of Fire. They will begin by traveling to the isolated communities of northern Ontario which will be affected by the future development to document and photograph this unique Canadian geography, showing the tremendous beauty of its landscape, the realities of living in the north, and the geology that holds so much value and potential for future development. After spending time in the north they will complement their collection of site photographs with plans, maps, analytical drawings and infographics that document the scale and scope of the site's current and projected future situation. They will assemble their original photographs and drawings into a publication that will serve as a visual introduction to the Ring of Fire. This publication will be complimented with written text to give voice to the many groups set to be affected by any future actions.
The campaign’s $12,000 fundraising goal will fund their travel to this remote location as well as aid with production costs, ensuring a timely release of the publication.
Kickstarter campaigns operate under an all or nothing model so if the Ring of Fire proposal does not reach its funding goal by May 23, 2015, the project will not be possible. The Kickstarter campaign for Ring of Fire runs until May 23, 2015, and can be found at kck.st/1cpBUcE.
Be sure to follow progress on the above Kickstarter page, and make sure to spread the word to your social media network. Consider donating as little as $1 to help this project come to life.
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