A judicial review into the environmental assessment in the Ring of Fire has ended.
Matawa Tribal Council requested the review in 2011 after it was decided that a comprehensive assessment would be done instead of a joint panel review.
But at an August annual general meeting, Matawa chiefs decided to ask the court to discontinue the judicial review, which was granted last Thursday.
"They felt that the judicial review, the litigation, was no longer required," Matawa CEO David Paul Achneepineskum said.
"It's a huge step."
Matawa wanted to make sure that its people would be involved in the environmental assessment process, something it originally felt couldn't be done through a more "paper-based" comprehensive review.
But after discussions with Cliffs Natural Resources and the federal government, Achneepineskum said the communities feel much more comfortable with the original process.
The judicial review was one of several reasons that Cliffs suspended its EA process earlier this year.
While the company still has several concerns that keeps the project from going ahead, environmental affairs director Jason Aagenes said it's good news.
"We look forward to working directly with the individual communities to develop an environmental review process that suits the community," he said.
"This is a key step in resuming activities."
