Ontario is looking to expedite the process of getting mining operations open for commercial production. That was a key message from Greg Rickford, the province’s minister of energy, mines, northern development and Indigenous affairs, who was in Timmins Monday to deliver a State of Mining address.
Rickford spoke of the industry’s need to be “better and faster” at opening mines for market in a “timely manner.” The event held at Cedar Meadows Resort & Spa on Monday was hosted by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce.
In his address, Rickford expressed his frustration with the previous government which he said took over five years to get a mine up and running.
“Anybody who’s in this sector will tell you that it takes way too long. It can’t be that these operations take seven to eight years. It can’t be that since coming into government, we’ve moved three mining operations to a go-live position, and done more for them in the regulatory space than the previous government did in five to seven years,” he said.
“We have to make sure that the system from start to finish responds to how the market treats commodities, particularly mines and their minerals, and that’s what we’re working on.”
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