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Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mineral Discovery

Stay on schedule, show some cash, says Ring of Fire miner and province to Ottawa – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – January 27, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Province still waiting on feds for matching $1-billion infrastructure commitment as regional study begins

The launch of a federal Regional Assessment of the Ring of Fire has the backing of the region’s leading mine developer and a government in Queen’s Park that’s bullish on resource extraction.

But Wyloo Canada and Ontario’s mines ministry want the assessment process to stay on schedule and expect Ottawa to show a real financial commitment toward development. The Regional Assessment has moved at a snail’s pace since former federal environment minister Jonathan Wilkinson first called for one in February 2020.

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NEWS RELEASE: Ontario and Aroland First Nation Sign Historic Agreement Connecting Roads to the Ring of Fire (January 28, 2025)

For first time in Province’s history, agreements in place to build roads along the entire route to the Ring of Fire

TORONTO — Today, Premier Doug Ford, Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation, and Aroland First Nation Chief Sonny Gagnon signed a Shared Prosperity Agreement to drive economic growth and build and upgrade infrastructure in Northern Ontario.

This agreement includes support for upgrades to Anaconda and Painter Lake Roads, which are important connections on the road to the Ring of Fire, as well as major new investments in infrastructure and energy transmission in the region. It also builds upon agreements that are in place with other First Nations partners along the entire proposed length of the roads to the Ring of Fire and helps set the stage for further potential partnerships.

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Ford government looks to tweak mining claims in Ontario – by Charlie Pinkerton (The Trillium/Northern Ontario Business – January 24, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

The province’s online claims system, which First Nations have argued allows violations of their rights, wouldn’t be impacted by the proposed changes

As it looks for ways to expedite the extraction of Ontario’s natural resources, the Ford government has proposed changes to how prospectors secure lands’ mining rights.

Draft regulatory changes published by the province’s Ministry of Mines last week would tweak certain requirements and timelines that a claimant to a property’s mining rights must meet before the government confirms their claim.

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Ottawa finally rolls out its Ring of Fire assessment plan – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – January 21, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

With an election looming, feds and First Nations to study the pros and cons of Far North mine development

Almost five years after Ottawa called for a Regional Assessment of the Ring of Fire, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) and 15 First Nations have defined a purpose and a plan.

In what the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change called a “milestone” for sustainable development in a Jan. 20 news release, the terms of reference have been finalized to begin the process of assessing the potential cumulative impacts of industrial development in Ontario’s Far North.

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Province needs to cast the net wide on Ring of Fire consultation, says Marten Falls chief – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – January 17, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Bruce Achneepineskum looks for new regional discussion table and more involvement from Ottawa

Doug Ford’s full-speed-ahead approach to build a Ring of Fire road and mine more critical minerals compelled a council of northwestern Ontario chiefs to tap the brakes on the premier’s enthusiasm.

The Matawa Chiefs Council outlined their stance in a news release this week that more relationship-building with Indigenous communities needs to be done before any industrial development takes place in the James Bay mineral belt.

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Matawa tribal chiefs not so keen on Fortress Am-Can – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – Janaury 16, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Indigenous leaders warn province to think again about granting access to Ring of Fire without proper consent

Fortress Am-Can might be Premier Doug Ford’s plan to expedite critical minerals production in the Ring of Fire, but the majority of chiefs with Matawa First Nations tribal council are pushing back that it certainly isn’t theirs.

In a Jan. 16 news release, the leadership warned that, as they are the inherent, treaty and Aboriginal rights holders to the area in and around the undeveloped Far North mineral belt, the Ontario government’s ability to grant access to critical minerals “within our traditional homelands is precarious.”

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Premier wants critical minerals production accelerated – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – January 14, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Ford promotes more robust cross-border trade with U.S. as threat of tariffs loom

Expect a major announcement on the north-south road to the Ring of Fire during the PDAC mining convention in March.That was the word from Premier Doug Ford and Mines Minister George Pirie during a Jan. 13 press conference in Toronto to promote Fortress Am-Can, touted as a new strategic alliance between Canada and the U.S. that involves a plan to fast-track critical minerals production.

Critical minerals and the untapped potential of the Ring of Fire received frequent mention by Ford, Pirie and Northern Development and Indigenous Minister Greg Rickford.

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Ontario Pitches Trump on Mining Deals With Tariffs Looming – by Jacob Lorinc (Bloomberg News – January 13, 2025)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — The leader of Canada’s most populous province is pitching a “renewed strategic alliance” with the US on critical minerals, as President-elect Donald Trump threatens crippling tariffs on the northern nation.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled Monday a new plank in a broader strategy he calls “Fortress Am-Can.” The plan aims to invest in and build out a critical minerals supply chain in North America. It advocates for expanding capacity to process metals and minerals mined on the continent, while accelerating federal and provincial timelines to permit and approve mining projects.

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NEWS RELEASE: Ontario Building Fortress Am-Can by Accelerating Strategic Resource Development (January 13, 2025)

Province’s critical minerals can power prosperity and security on both sides of the border

TORONTO — Today, Premier Doug Ford outlined Ontario’s plan to accelerate strategic resource development, including Ontario’s critical minerals in the Ring of Fire region, to build Fortress Am-Can, a renewed strategic alliance between Canada and the United States that is a beacon of stability, security and long-term prosperity.

The United States and Canada are each country’s most significant trading partners, representing trillions of dollars in annual economic activity and millions of jobs on both sides of the border. Fortress Am-Can will leverage Ontario’s unique advantages to help America bring jobs back home as it decouples from China, including by establishing a new Am-Can Critical Mineral Security Alliance that invests in and builds out American and Canadian critical mineral supply chains, including by significantly expanding Am-Can processing capacity.

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New research explores impact of Ring of Fire mining on First Nations in northern Ontario – by Sarah Law (CBC News Thunder Bay – January 11, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/

Focus is on embedding reconciliation into corporate polices

A new research project is exploring the human rights impacts of mining operations on First Nations in the Ring of Fire — a vast mineral-rich area in northern Ontario. The partnership, announced Wednesday, is between the Anishnawbe Business Professional Association (ABPA) and University of Toronto Faculty of Law’s international human rights program.

The research has already begun and is examining how mining companies are engaging with First Nations, with the goal of strengthening their policies on Indigenous relations and sustainability. Jason Rasevych is a member of Ginoogaming First Nation and president of the ABPA.

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Nickel executives raise alarm over potential flood of Indonesian imports stemming from free trade agreement – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – December 22, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Canada’s new free-trade agreement with Indonesia is causing an uproar in the nickel industry, with some executives saying that Ottawa should be clamping down on the Southeast Asian country, instead of opening up the domestic market to a flood of cheap supply produced at questionable environmental standards.

Earlier this month, International Trade Minister Mary Ng announced the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which will see tariffs phased out on many goods between the two countries as of 2026. The trade deal had been in the works for several years. Canada already has no tariffs on imports of nickel from Indonesia.

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NEWS RELEASE: Ontario Completes Building Highway Upgrades at the Gateway to the Ring of Fire (Premier’s Office – November 13, 2024)

First Nations partnering with province to unlock multi-generational economic opportunities in Northern Ontario

GREENSTONE — Today, Premier Doug Ford and Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation, joined regional First Nations Chiefs to mark the completion of critical highway infrastructure improvements in the Greenstone area in Northern Ontario.

These highway upgrades at the gateway to the Ring of Fire region will improve connections to the provincial highway network for First Nations in the Greenstone area while also supporting the province’s ongoing work to unlock the economic potential of Ontario’s critical minerals in partnership with First Nations.

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Federal watchdog snaps at climate, Indigenous gaps in Ottawa’s critical minerals strategy – by Colin McClelland (Northern Miner – November 7, 2024)

https://www.northernminer.com/

Canada’s auditor general criticized the federal critical minerals strategy for not adequately probing the impact increased mining will have on the environment and Indigenous communities.

The government program issued in 2022 budgets $3.8 billion on critical minerals support over eight years. Yet, the strategy doesn’t properly measure results and progress on ecosystems and First Nations, the Office of the Auditor General, the government’s own watchdog, said in a report on Thursday. The matters included greenhouse gas emissions, the protection of culturally significant sites and improvements to local living conditions, it said.

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Conservationists raise alarm bells over James Bay lowlands (Timmins Daily Press – October 26, 2024)

https://www.timminspress.com/

First Nation says plan is crucial for global climate goals

Mushkegowuk Council released a statement Thursday, Oct. 24, urging Ontario to join as a partner on a conservation plan they say is crucial to the global efforts to protect land and water. For their part, the province says their talks with the federal government on conservation efforts are ongoing.

“Minister Rickford has met with Mushkegowuk council on several occasions to discuss shared priorities,” wrote Curtis Lindsay, spokesperson for the minister of Indigenous affairs, in an email. “Ontario is continuing discussions with the federal government on how to move forward collaboratively on conservation projects that fall under provincial jurisdiction,” Lindsay wrote.

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‘We believe Canada needs more nickel,’ Wyloo boss says – by Nicole Stoffman (Sudbury Star – October 13, 2024)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Nickel produced and processed in Northern Ontario and the Ring of Fire would be destined for the EV market

Kristan Straub, CEO of Wyloo Ring of Fire, provided an update on the Eagle’s Nest Mine at the State of Mining luncheon in Timmins recently. The mine site in the Ring of Fire in northwestern Ontario has a ‘small footprint’ of one square kilometre or half the size of the Timmins Airport, Straub said.

The site contains a deposit of 17 million tonnes at 3.3 per cent nickel, copper and platinum group elements. It also has some of the world’s largest chromite deposits outside of South Africa, Straub said.

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