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Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Opinion | Let’s judge Ontario’s mineral development by what is protected — not just extracted – by Constance O’Connor (Toronto Star – May 2, 2025)

https://www.thestar.com/

In the Speech from the Throne, the Ford government once again promised to expedite mineral development in the area that mining companies are calling the Ring of Fire in the far north of the province. It then followed up before the Easter long weekend with Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025.

This bill leans hard into the rhetoric of the need to slash laws governing everything from endangered species protections to resource development in a way that promises plenty of chaos — and not much clarity — as everyone from First Nations to businesses tries to sort through its far-reaching implications.

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London environmentalists say Ontario’s mining push puts endangered species at risk – by Alessio Donnini (CBC News London – April 26, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/

One environmentalist points to a 2021 audit that said Ontario should do more to protect wildlife

Environmentalists in London and across the province say the Ontario government’s push to cut so-called red tape to speed up the development of mining and construction projects could have dire consequences for endangered species.

Particularly concerning aspects of this push are moves that, according to researcher and environmental activist Brendon Samuels, weaken environmental protections in the name of short-term economic gain.

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[Ring of Fire] This is why Donald Trump really wants to annex Canada – by Laura Osman (The Logic – April 27, 2025)

The Logic

Indigenous communities in the Ring of Fire stand to benefit greatly or suffer dearly in the race for critical minerals. Locals say their opposition to mining is misund

EABAMETOONG FIRST NATION, Ont. — In April, as Canada geese start to fly home from their winter retreat in the U.S., hunters in the Eabametoong First Nation head to the lakes and nearby creeks. As the sun sets over the remote Northern Ontario community, Dave Keeskitay, 40, returns from a hunt along what’s left of the melting ice road on Lornjack Bay. Sillouetted against a cotton-candy sky, he pulls a sled of goose decoys, his rifle slung over his shoulder. He bagged four birds that morning, but had no luck in the afternoon.

For hunters like Keeskitay in the remote communities south of the Hudson and James Bays, the seemingly endless peatlands and boreal forest are a lifeline. But the land that provides food and water to First Nations in the area also sits atop a potential treasure trove of critical minerals and precious metals, commonly known as the Ring of Fire, that could deliver communities here from poverty—or make survival in the region even harder.

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‘Special economic zones’ bill would let Ford government exempt any project from provincial laws – by Jessica Smith Cross (The Trillium – April 24, 2025)

https://www.thetrillium.ca/

It also repeals Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, ‘gutting’ legal protections for species, environmentalists warn

The Ford government is proposing to give itself sweeping powers to exempt any project from provincial and municipal laws.The “Protecting Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act,” tabled Thursday, if passed, would give the province the power to designate “special economic zones,” as well as “trusted proponents” and projects that fit criteria to be developed by cabinet.

Cabinet would then be allowed to exempt these proponents and projects from requirements under any provincial law or regulation, including bylaws of municipalities and local boards, that would otherwise apply in that zone.

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Northern Prospectors Association supports proposed mining legislation – by Brad Sherratt (Kirkland Lake Northern News – April 21, 2025)

https://www.northernnews.ca/

The president of the Northern Prospectors Association says his organization is supportive of legislation that was introduced by the province, legislation that is designed to speed up the process for mineral development and resource projects.

On April 18, the Ford government introduced the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025.” According to a media release from the province, if passed, the legislation would cut the red tape and duplicative processes that have held back major infrastructure, mining and resource development projects, including in the Ring of Fire.

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Ontario to OK mines in half the time: Ford – by Colin McClelland (Northern Miner – April 17, 2025)

https://www.northernminer.com/

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is proposing new legislation to cut mining permit times in half, designate geographic areas for speedy treatment like the Ring of Fire by September and limit foreign ownership.

The new legislation announced on Thursday mentions Wyloo Metals’ Eagle’s Nest project by name. The proposed battery metals mine would be within a Ring of Fire special economic zone northeast of Thunder Bay and have its environmental assessment (EA) process, which the company had voluntarily advanced nearly 15 years ago, entirely removed because it’s out of date.

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Northwest ‘booming’ for mining – by Sandi Krasowski (The Chronicle-Journal – April 16, 2025)

https://www.pentictonherald.ca/

The Ontario Prospectors and Explorers Symposium is underway in Thunder Bay, where miners, prospectors, support and supply companies, laboratories and service companies have come together to network and share information and ideas.

Daniele Spethman, an exploration geologist and director of the Ontario Prospectors Association (OPA), is the co-ordinator of the conference that was hosted jointly by the OPA and the Northwestern Ontario Prospectors Association.

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Mining the Northwest: New federal leadership will make the Ring of Fire go, says Wyloo Canada CEO – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – April 17, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Kristan Straub senses political winds are shifting in favour of critical minerals mining

The Ring of Fire has been the garden of agony for mining companies ever since the discovery of nickel and chromite in the James Bay region in 2007-2008.

As glacial as the pace of progress has been, Wyloo Metals Canada CEO Kristan Straub said his company’s enthusiasm hasn’t waned for its Eagle’s Nest project. “We think this is probably one of the best times, if not the most prospective time we’ve seen yet, at least in my tenure here,” said Straub, who joined Wyloo from Glencore’s nickel exploration team in 2023.

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Throne speech ignites outcry over Ford’s environmental rollbacks – by Abdul Matin Sarfraz (National Observer/Penticton Herald – April 2025)

https://www.pentictonherald.ca/

Despite years of public outcry and widespread criticism from experts and advocates over weakened conservation laws, the Ford government doubled down on its first day back in power — vowing to slash environmental oversight to fast-track mineral and infrastructure projects.

Critics warn the plan will gut crucial environmental reviews, provoke legal battles, spark First Nations resistance and further weaken protections already under strain.

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Ontario to designate Ring of Fire a region of strategic importance – by Gary Rinne (SN NewsWatch.com – April 15, 2025)

https://www.snnewswatch.com/

In the Speech from the Throne, the Ford government promised ‘significantly streamlined permitting and approvals’ for critical mineral extraction

QUEEN’S PARK — The Ontario government plans to introduce legislation allowing it to designate areas containing critical mineral deposits, including the Ring of Fire, as regions of strategic importance.The commitment was made in the Speech from the Throne opening the new session of the legislature on Tuesday.

The government said the legislation will give it the authority to support the province’s economy and security interests by offering “significantly streamlined permitting and approvals” to developers that meet high operating, safety and environmental standards. It also promised the constitutional duty to consult with First Nations will be met.

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Ontario Throne Speech Ring of Fire Excerpts (April 15, 2025)

Project Location & Study Area (CNW Group/Webequie First Nation and Marten Falls First Nation)

For the entire Ontario Speech From the Throne: https://surl.lu/gehpki

Ring of Fire Excerpts:

This includes Ontario’s vast supply of critical minerals.

The frontline in Canada’s battle against President Trump’s economic threats rests in the Ring of Fire. Covering approximately 5,000 square kilometers, the Ring of Fire contains the most promising mineral development opportunities in the world, representing billions in economic potential. The region includes reserves of chromite, copper, cobalt, nickel, platinum and every other mineral necessary for the growth of advanced economies.

As Ontario and Canada confront the challenge of President Trump’s economic disruption, there’s no better point of leverage on the world stage. Simply put, Ontario has the minerals the world needs.

To effectively seize this opportunity, however, we need to get our critical minerals out of the ground, processed and shipped to the factory floors, building for the future.

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Ontario Throne Speech pledges to drop provincial trade barriers, speed up mines in face of U.S. trade war – by Jeff Gray and Laura Stone (Globe and Mail – April 15, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The Ontario government is pledging to shore up the province in the face of the threat of U.S. tariffs by taking down barriers to interprovincial trade, speeding up approvals for new mines in the Northern Ring of Fire region – and doubling down on a promise to build a lengthy and costly tunnel under the Toronto-area stretch of Highway 401.

In its Throne Speech, the Progressive Conservative government of Premier Doug Ford laid out its priorities after winning its third straight majority in the Feb. 27 election, saying its first two new pieces of legislation would lower Ontario’s interprovincial trade barriers and allow the designation of the Ring of Fire as a region of “strategic importance to the province’s economy and security interests.”

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Carney and Poilievre have promised they’ll get major resource projects done faster, but is that actually possible? – by Justine Hunter (Globe and Mail – April 13, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The federal Conservatives and Liberals are in a bidding war to cut red tape for major resource projects that will help Canada weather the economic storms brought by the U.S. tariff war.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre have both promised to fast-track approval processes: Mr. Carney says regulatory reviews for projects should take no more than two years, while Mr. Poilievre says he would set a maximum of one year.

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Mining dominates Poilievre’s speedy permits list – by Colin McClelland (Northern Miner – April 7, 2025)

https://www.northernminer.com/

Mining investments make up nearly all the resource projects Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre would approve within a year if elected Canadian Prime Minister this month. Campaigning in British Columbia on Monday for the April 28 election, Poilievre said he would start a “one-and-done” approvals process to accelerate 10 projects. These would need one application and one environmental review, he said.

His list includes NexGen Energy’s Rook 1 uranium project in Saskatchewan, and several in Ontario: First Mining Gold’s Springpole project, Agnico Eagle Mines’ Upper Beaver underground gold and copper mine and roads to access Wyloo Metal’s Ring of Fire project.

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Who Stands to Win in Poilievre’s Canada: Mining Companies – by Philip Preville (MACLEAN’S Magazine – April 7, 2025)

https://macleans.ca/

An aggressive, dig-baby-dig attitude to extraction will benefit the minerals sector

In 2021, the federal government established an official list of 34 critical minerals and metals—including nickel, cobalt, copper and lithium—that are essential to Canada’s economic security and our role in global supply chains.

They’re found in almost every province and territory and used in products like smartphones, photovoltaic cells, semiconductors and electric vehicles. Their extraction is the missing link in Canada’s multi-billion-dollar investment in EV battery plants: the whole idea is for Canada itself to supply those critical minerals, not import them.

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