When the
Canadian Pacific Railway was under construction in the region in 1883, blacksmith Tom Flanagan discovered
chalcopyrite deposits in the area of what is now Copper Cliff. The ore was initially shipped to a smelting plant in
Constable Hook,
New Jersey, where it was discovered that the ore was rich in
nickel. Large-scale nickel mining began in 1902 with the formation of the International Nickel Company backed by American banker
J.P. Morgan and
Charles Schwab. Conversely, many immigrant workers such as
Poles,
Finns,
Italians, and
French Canadians worked in a less developed area of the city just south of the mine often referred to as "Shantytown" because of the quantity of shacks and shanties present. A ceremony was held by residents on 31 December 1972 to mourn the loss of the town. Some residents opposed the merger, and had formed a committee to oppose it. The operations of the sintering plant in Copper Cliff that ran from 1948 to 1963 produced large amounts of
nickel sulphide and
sulphur dioxide that served as a significant health risk at the time to the workers at the plant and the local community. Workers that were exposed to the dust without proper protective equipment were victim to various forms of respiratory cancers, which led to an abnormally high mortality rate within the province. The Superstack was decommissioned in 2020. The superstack was constructed because of pressure from the local community and provincial government with the goal of dispersing the toxic emissions into the atmosphere to improve the air quality of Copper Cliff. Outside the community, the superstack is seen as a symbol of pollution, however the superstack holds deep meaning for the community of Copper Cliff. It represents a symbol of the workers' importance and identity to the community. For many in the community it has evoked "smokestack nostalgia" because of the economic stability that came with the industrial work of the past. == Little Italy ==