TORONTO — The Ontario government has approved the terms of reference designed and submitted by Webequie First Nation and Marten Falls First Nation for an all-season, multi-use road connecting to the proposed Ring of Fire mining development area in northern Ontario.
The Northern Road Link will connect the two First Nations communities and the mineral deposits in the Ring of Fire to the Ontario highway network, stated a release.
Ontario has spent $1 billion on planning and infrastructure for the Ring of Fire area including all‑season roads, high-speed internet, road upgrades and community supports. Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations are co-leading the planning of the Northern Road Link project.
Ring of Fire minerals will help establish a supply chain to support electric vehicle manufacturing in Ontario, stated Ontario Minister of Mines George Pirie. He made the announcement at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada annual convention in Toronto.
“I want to thank Webequie First Nation and Marten Falls First Nation for leading the environmental assessment for this essential road corridor. I value our partnership with these strong leaders who are central to our government’s mandate to develop the Ring of Fire,” stated Pirie.
The province also announced recipients of funding from the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund at the convention. The $5-million fund supports Ontario-based companies involved in the development of new mining technologies for the critical minerals supply chain.
Critical minerals projects receiving funding include:
- $500,000 to Frontier Lithium Inc. to help develop lithium processing techniques and establish lithium mining and mineral processing in Ontario for use in battery and EV manufacturing supply chains.
- $500,000 to Vale Canada Ltd. to develop bioleaching techniques for reprocessing tailings to extract nickel and cobalt from mine waste and to help increase battery metals supply.
- $500,000 to Ring of Fire Metals Pty Ltd. to test the feasibility of repurposing and storing all tailings materials underground in the form of backfill at mine sites.
- $500,000 to EV Nickel Inc. for research to demonstrate how bioleach extraction and recovery of battery metals such as nickel and cobalt can be sustainable processes.
- $475,000 to Carbonix Inc., an Indigenous-owned company, to help refine the process for converting mining waste, petroleum coke and other byproducts into graphite for use in battery anode and cathode supply chains.
This is a significant opportunity to take a strategic role in the ongoing growth of the EV market, to strengthen our economy, to become a leading provider to this emerging technology. We should be proud as Ontarians and Canadians to be part of this historic transformation to new technologies. This opportunity should not be squandered by political differences. Premier Ford should be commended for his hard work and support of this historic opportunity. Furthermore, the involvement of First Nations is both important, significant, and a true opportunity to promote a fresh new approach to encouraging and supporting Fish Nations opportunities to create wealth for their communities.