The Ring of Fire is one of the greatest economic development opportunities Ontario has seen in almost 100 years, said the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry.
MPPs Michael Gravelle (Lib., Thunder Bay-Superior North) and Bill Mauro (Lib., Thunder Bay-Atikokan) announced the Ontario Liberals’ northern platform outside of AbitibiBowater Friday morning.
The party’s commitment to the development of the Ring of Fire was one of the highlights.
"We are going to commit to drive that development forward, working with all the partners in all of the sectors of the industry to make that happen, by working with the companies that are involved, with the First Nations, with the Métis Nation, with the communities to see that going forward," said Gravelle.
The party plans to open eight mines in the next 10 years.
"That sends a real signal certainly to industry how committed we are to seeking the investment of the industry," said Gravelle. "We are very close to a number of mines opening up all across Northern Ontario."
The plan also includes making the Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program permanent. The program is used by companies like AbitibiBowater and Mauro said he knows mining companies like Cliffs Natural Resources are watching closely.
"They know what we’ve just done," he said. "They know what we’ve done on corporate tax rates. They know what we’ve done on infrastructure. They know Ontario is an attractive a place to be to do business as there is in North America right now."
When looking closely at the Liberal Northern plan, there is very little for families, said Progress Conservative candidate Fred Gilbert (Thunder Bay-Atikokan).
"There are all sorts of gaps in the truth of this document," he said. "I can pick it apart piece by piece."
Four of the eight mines mentioned in the plan are already to set to open in the next year or so Gilbert said, adding the Liberals have had years to move along the Ring of Fire development.
"The evidence to date is that they’ve had great difficulty bringing the parties together to be effective," he said. "We’ve seen that in terms of the reaction of the First Nations."
The Ring of Fire commitment is similar to the Grow North Plan, which is just another planning document, said Gilbert.
"We actually deserve more than just more planning," he said.
When it comes to the Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program, Gilbert said it was created as a stop-gap measure to save the few remaining industries in the north, and while it has helped in that regard, the real problem is making it sustainable.
"Not just energy rates, but making it affordable for people in the North," he said. "The jobs that have been created compared to the jobs that have been lost – minimal."
"You’re not going to help them by stabilizing what little we have left," added Gilbert. "We have to develop new opportunities."
Also in the Northern platform is increasing the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to $110 million from $100 million, providing more health care for underserviced areas and improving the efficiency of the Northern Health Travel Grant process.
