Niobay Metals Inc. (NBYCF)

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POSSIBILITY THINKING BROUGHT GREAT SUPPORT: MCFN can also do great things with NIOBIUM MINE.
If all goes according to plan, by 2015, they will double the capacity of the four dams that make up the Lower Mattagami River Hydroelectric Complex, a $2.6-billion project that will add 438 megawatts to the Northern Ontario grid – enough peak power for at least 400,000 homes.

In Smoky Falls, Ontario Power Generation is refurbishing three hydroelectic stations and completely replacing a fourth along the Mattagami River, which flows north into James Bay. It’s a long play on sustainable energy infrastructure in Canada’s North: By building onto existing stations, the project will avoid disrupting additional watersheds, minimizing its environmental impact while maximizing output.

But the project recognizes more than just the land that surrounds it; it also pays long-overdue respect to some of the first people who lived there. In a landmark partnership, the Moose Cree First Nation has a 25-per-cent stake in the project that will see them share in its revenue for generations.

“There is so much to the agreement,” says Moose Cree Chief Norm Hardisty Jr. His band’s reserve is north of the project in Moose Factory, Ont. “Certainly, it’s not just today we’re dealing with. We’re just not looking at this generation. Moving forward, we’re already prepared to have a trust and looking to invest most of the revenue we will be generating.”

The Lower Mattagami refurbishment is “more than just a way to build