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Ontario is asking the federal government to help pay for infrastructure to kick-start development of the Ring of Fire, a vast region of mineral deposits in the province’s north.
In a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper Friday, Premier Kathleen Wynne estimates constructing the necessary infrastructure for the area will cost as much as $2.25-billion. She asks Mr. Harper to split the cost evenly with her.
Under Ms. Wynne’s plan, the infrastructure would be built by a new development corporation that would co-ordinate between governments, private companies and First Nations.
“The Ring of Fire presents an historic, multi-generational opportunity to transform the region, create thousands of jobs, and enhance the future economic prosperity of Canada,” Ms. Wynne writes in the missive. “On behalf of the people of Ontario, it is my sincere hope that the federal government will come forward as a partner with a critical strategic investment in the development corporation.”
The Ring of Fire promises to pay major dividends to Ontario’s sluggish economy – about $60-billion worth, according to the government’s estimates – but its remote location makes it hard to exploit.
More than 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, the region needs roads to transport workers in and ore out, as well as utilities to service future mines. The government must also make deals with First Nations in the area and take steps to protect the environment.
The federal cabinet minister responsible for the Ring of Fire, Greg Rickford, said his government wants to help in the area, but that it has to know more about the development corporation the province is proposing. So far, the province has not said how the development corporation would be structured.
“We need quite a few more details before we respond to a blanket kind of letter asking for our participation,” he said in an interview.
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