THUNDER BAY -- The Liberal government's first budget is about doing groundwork in the North, Patty Hajdu says.
MP Liberal MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North said things like $11.9 billion over five years for infrastructure and $8.4 billion for First Nations will go a long way to help kickstart the Ring of Fire and development in the North.
Once the province is ready to move on the project, federal dollars will be there for everything from roads to jobs training.
"When you think about all of those foundational bones that are going to be laid those are the kinds of things that we actually need to move projects forward like the Ring of Fire and we can't actually unlock the Ring of Fire until we have the infrastructure in place to get there, to get the resources out of there and to house people while they’re working there and to employ people from the region,” she said.
“All of those things are actually structural pieces.”
There will also be help for remote and Northern communications to expand broadband capabilities. It's all part of making the region ready for business.
"We're showing our commitment by making sure that the structures are there in place so when the Ring of Fire development is ready to take place, we don't need to take another 10 years building up the necessary infrastructure," she said.
Infrastructure priorities will largely be left up to provinces in discussions with municipalities Hajdu said.
Along with the $11.9 billion, Hajdu said the federal government is looking for ways to speed up access for cities to get unspent gas tax money.
"I'm confident Thunder Bay will see its share," Hajdu added.
MP Don Rusnak (Lib., Thunder Bay-Rainy River) said Fednor is another department where unused money will actually be spent.
While there was no mention of the regional economic bureau in the budget speech Tuesday, Rusnak said the government has committed to spending the full $49.6 million it has been given, unlike the previous Conservative government.
"I think it’s going to be positive for us in the North," he said of the budget.
An historic investment into First Nations, from drinking water to education, will also go a long way to help the North Rusnak said.
