But Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault says just because the words ‘Ring of Fire’ aren’t in the budget, doesn’t mean Ontario has lost interest
A billion-dollar promise by the provincial government to fund an all-season transportation corridor to reach the Ring of Fire remains just that. A month after Ottawa made no mention and released no funding for the Far North mineral belt in the federal budget, Queen’s Park decided to followed suit.
It’s been ten years since Noront Resources discovered its high-grade Eagle’s Nest copper-nickel deposit in the James Bay region, but Sudbury MPP and provincial energy minister Glenn Thibeault said the government is still committed to the cause.
“Absolutely nothing has changed,” Thibeault told Sudbury.com. “I know the Opposition members from Northern Ontario are all running around with their hair on fire saying there’s nothing in there for the Ring of Fire.
“We have not changed. We are solely committed to making sure that we can get the Ring of Fire up and running.” Since April 2014, Ontario has been challenging Ottawa to match its $1-billion commitment to help blaze a corridor through the Canadian Shield to reach the remote and undeveloped deposits in the James Bay lowlands, and help boost the North’s stagnate economy.
“Even though it’s not explicitly mentioned in the budget, it’s still there,” said Thibeault. “We’ve got a lot invested in this. We want to make sure that this happens. But we do have to do our duty to consult with our First Nations.
For the rest of this article, click here: https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/ontario-budget-1b-ring-of-fire-promise-is-still-nothing-but-a-promise-603628