[Ontario] MNDM Minister welcomes mining report – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – December 2, 2015)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Ontario’s minister of Northern Development and Mines and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce don’t agree on every point, but both share a commitment to seeing the mining sector build and grow.

To that end, Michael Gravelle appreciates the chamber report, “Digging Deeper,” which offers recommendations for strengthening Ontario’s mining advantage.

The first of nine recommendations in the report released Tuesday includes broadening the focus of the Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation, an opinion Gravelle doesn’t share.

The Mines minister believes it’s important for the development corporation to remain focused on the Ring of Fire, bringing partners together to determine how best to build transportation systems and infrastructure in the area.

Gravelle agrees with many of the other recommendations, including a call to clarify the consultation process between companies and first nations, and to develop a revenue resource sharing framework.

His ministry agrees it should develop a process to “make things work better” in the mining sector. The fact his government has modernized the mining act and introduced new processes to speed up permitting for mining development shows the Liberals are working closely with industry to provide guidance on how best to work with first nations.

“I can very honestly say that’s the direction we’re going in,” said Gravelle.

He said he appreciates the Ontario chamber report because it shows the group representing 60,000 member businesses understands mining is a huge part of Ontario’s economy. The report shows that $11 billion in mineral production occurs in Ontario annually, more than any other province.

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