Windsor Salt Pays Ridiculously Paltry Rent
The owners of Windsor Salt pay $413.69 and $29.11 to the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry in annual rents for the two leases of lands related to the Ojibway Mine complex. The amounts were reported in an order by the Minister extending their leases for 21 years. In the extension, there are provisions for a per tonne royalty for production which are not elaborated in the extension of the lease. These provisions are only referred to as the 1982 lease, which was the original lease negotiated with the government. The royalty provisions were last renewed and modified in 2006.
Workers also report that the company gets free use of the waters of the Detroit River for its brine wells. Water under high pressure is used to extract salt.
Given the length of the strike at Windsor Salt and the time it will take to re-start production, it is possible that Windsor Salt will pay little to nothing, other than municipal and other taxes. These they can likely write off using their self-imposed losses.