Two First Nations to start Ring of Fire environmental assessment
Officials are celebrating what they are calling a 'historic milestone' for the Ring of Fire development in Ontario's Far North.
In an update on northern Ontario's Ring of Fire mineral deposit Thursday morning, the chiefs of Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation announced they have completed terms of reference – a document outlining how the groups will work together on a particular project -- for the proposed Northern Road Link (NRL) Environmental Assessment. The two chiefs signed an agreement with the Ontario government in March 2020 to start the project's planning and development.
The terms of reference will be released later this month, Marten Falls First Nation Chief Bruce Achneepineskum said in a live news conference.
"It's a start of a journey for us into economic reconciliation for Marten Falls First Nation and neighbouring Matawa First Nation communities," Achneepineskum said.
"There's a lot of work still to do. We're going to be moving on to the actual work of the environmental assessment. Moving forward with the actual studies that are going to be happening."
The Northern Road Link would connect two proposed roads, the 200-kilometre Marten Falls to Aroland Community Access Road at the south end and the proposed 110-kilometre Webequie Supply Road to the Ring of Fire at the north end.
"This proposed road is the final piece of critical road infrastructure needed to ensure reliable, all-season road access to potential mining sites in the Ring of Fire and connect both First Nations communities to Ontario’s highway network," the province said in a news release.
The two First Nations are leading the planning of the road project being dubbed the 'Corridor to Prosperity' in partnership with the province, which has committed nearly $1 billion "to support critical legacy infrastructure such as the planning and construction of an all‑season road network, and investments in high-speed internet, road upgrades and other community supports."
Achneepineskum said the partnership sets new precedence on Indigenous proponency.
"It is important to remember why we are here and what this represents. We are leading the Northern Road Link because the project is in our traditional territory and we are exercising our right to self-determination. This represents a potentially bright future for our future generations, for our neighbours, and for the region," Achneepineskum said.
Ford said the aim is to connect northern resources to electric vehicle battery manufacturers in the southern region.
"Today is a landmark day as we work side by side with our Indigenous partners to ensure that communities around the Ring of Fire have access to the roads needed to not only support development but also improve access to everyday essentials like fuel, groceries and health care. We’re getting it done," he said in a news release.
"The NRL project is an Indigenous-led environmental assessment, which integrates Indigenous principles with the provincial process. We look forward to discussing the NRL project with our Indigenous neighbours and key stakeholders," said Webequie First Nation Chief Cornelius Wabasse in a news release.
The Ring of Fire deposit includes chromite, nickel, copper and platinum.
"Ontario’s Ring of Fire region is one of the most promising mineral development opportunities for critical minerals in the province. It’s located approximately 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay and covers about 5,000 square kilometres," the province said.
This announcement comes almost a month after the province announced its first critical mineral strategy and nearly a week after announcing a reduction in electricity costs for northern Ontario's industrial sector.
Mining activity in the northern region is ramping up with a new lithium development project, Island Gold Mine's third shaft expansion and IAMGOLD's Côté Gold Project set to open in 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.