Provincial signing of a partnership funding agreement with Webequie First Nation puts wheels in motion for Far North development
The Ford government is promising shovels will be in the ground by next spring to start construction on the most northerly leg of a road into the Ring of Fire.
Premier Doug Ford entertained a delegation from Webequie First Nation, the community closest to the Far North mineral belt, in a signing ceremony for a historic Community Partnership Agreement.
The pact will unleash $39.5 million in community readiness funds from the province that will go into construction of the Webequie Supply Road, will be earmarked for local infrastructure, and will prepare the remote James Bay community for a huge economic surge in its territory.
“When you’re taking on projects of this scope and size, your community’s got to be ready,” said Greg Rickford, Ontario’s Indigenous affairs minister, who’s in charge of the government’s economic development efforts in the Ring of Fire.
The Oct. 29 agreement-signing ceremony between the province and First Nation was livestreamed on YouTube.
Rickford called it a “landmark and historic community partnership agreement” and he expects more such agreements will be announced in the coming weeks.
Ford said it’s a major milestone and a “starting point” to advance the Ring of Fire as quickly as possible to unlock its “enormous economic potential.”
Webequie Chief Cornelius Wabasse said the agreement addresses issues at the community level and provides future economic development opportunities.
He said it solidifies his community’s ongoing relationship with the province and gives his members a better understanding of how to “work together to make things happen.”
Webequie is the community closest to the possible Ring of Fire mine sites. The community has been leading an environmental assessment (EA) for a supply road, 107 kilometres long, stretching from the community straight into the Far North mineral belt.
The Webequie Supply Road is one leg of a longer, proposed road network, of several hundred kilometres, connecting the Ring of Fire and remote communities to the provincial highway system.
Ford expects Webequie’s long-awaited road environmental assessment will be submitted to the province in January, with approvals by spring, followed by road construction soon after.
Until today, much of the Ford government’s Ring of Fire-related investments have been to business and highway infrastructure in the Greenstone and Geraldton area. This is the province’s first bold step to make a sizable funding announcement in a Far North community.
A portion of this funding — about $1.5 million — is going out immediately for mental health supports in Webequie and community wellbeing initiatives.
The rest of the funding is earmarked for construction of a new Webequie airport terminal building and for runway upgrades, along with money for a new multi-purpose facility that includes an arena and community gathering and training space.
About $10.5 million is earmarked for the supply and material procurement process to do work on the winter road for the Webequie Supply Road and other projects deemed shovel-ready.
Surprisingly, $3 million is designated for Webequie to do a technical study on the potential for an east-west road corridor, to provide secondary access, or a “trunk line,” to the region.
First investigated by the Wynne government a decade ago, it is not yet known if this is a backup road option should legal challenges by nearby Indigenous communities stall construction of a north-south road.
Queries by Northern Ontario Business to Greg Rickford’s ministry office and Michael Fox, Webequie’s community advisor, for clarification, did not produce an immediate response.
Development of the Ring of Fire has figured prominently in the Ford government’s plan to jumpstart Ontario’s economy.
His government has been running TV ads, touting how the proposed mine projects will create 70,000 new jobs in the province and contribute $22 billion to Canada’s economy.
When asked by a reporter when mining could conceivably start in the Ring of Fire, Ford couldn’t place a date.
But he responded that what could foul up the construction timeline is federal regulatory duplication.
“Prime Minister Mark Carney made a commitment to us to get out of the way of nation-building projects.”
Ford called on Ottawa and Carney to end the regional assessment process that, he said, duplicates the environmental work carried out by the communities and stalls development on major projects.
He said progress is being made on an upcoming agreement with the feds that subscribes to Ontario’s red tape-cutting ‘one project, one review’ process.
Ford said the Ring of Fire will bring prosperity to Webequie and give young people access to job opportunities not seen by previous generations with better access to health care, grid power and the internet.
“We’re changing lives up there.”
Rickford was asked by the media how consultation was done differently with the Webequie agreement, given the backlash by Indigenous communities this year over the province’s Bill 5 legislation to expedite the approvals for natural resource projects.
Though the Ring of Fire will be designated as a Special Economic Zone under Bill 5, Rickford said no aspect of the bill is yet being applied in the Ring of Fire.
He said the government will “take their cue” from communities like Webequie as these projects start.
Rickford said most of the Bill 5 criticism came during the summer public hearing process as the legislation rolled out. After that, he characterized the response from many First Nation communities as “curious, if not positive” about certain key projects in their area.
Rickford said he would be meeting later today with Wyloo, the Australian miner with the most advanced project in the Ring of Fire, to discuss their readiness to start construction of its Eagle’s Nest nickel mine project.
