The $53-billion Building Canada Fund could be the catalyst to create a legacy resource development in the resource-rich Ring of fire, say Canada's Minister of Natural Resources and Ontario's Minister of Northern Development and Mines.
Greg Rickford and Michael Gravelle met Tuesday to discuss the potential development, which has been stalled by a number of obstacles, including the cost of transporting the ore out of Ontario's north to a processing facility.
The two ministers released a joint statement after their get-together, calling it a construcitve meeting.
Rickford said the federal government will entertain new proposals to develop projects in the region, provided they are specific and tangible.
The discussion centred on further co-operation on infrastructure matters and access to remote communities. Last year the province committed $1 billion to the project, but stressed the importance of the federal government matching the dollars.
Rickford and Gravelle each agreed on the importance of minister-to-minister meetings and promised to meet again in the near future.
