With Greenstone as the gateway to the Ring of Fire, the municipality is telling people to come in and set up business.
The two-day Grow Greenstone Expo kicked off Monday morning at the Victoria Inn; the conference includes presentations and more than 60 exhibits to highlight the mining activity and opportunities in Greenstone.
Greenstone Mayor Renald Beaulieu said the municipality has been preparing for the Ring of Fire and mining exploration for the past two-and-a-half years.
“The potential is not just big for Greenstone, it’s huge for all of Northwestern Ontario,” he said.
But with Greenstone’s geographical position close to the Ring of Fire, Beaulieu wants companies to know they are open for business.
With no roads or hydro servicing the mining areas yet, there is potential for projects that could create thousands of jobs over the next several years.
The expo is about letting companies and other nearby communities know what the needs are and Beaulieu says they’ve done their homework and they know what is required when it comes to things like transportation, accessibility and training.
“All in all it’s a question of also how do they become qualified to work with these mining companies that are going to be in our areas and that are going to be creating a lot of jobs for our area,” he said.
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae spoke at the expo’s opening ceremonies and said that Greenstone has taken a real initiative to bring people together and create a positive and constructive element in mining discussions.
Rae noted that the Greenstone area has four First Nations within its boundaries, all of which will be involved in the process.
“Greenstone will be absolutely directly engaged and involved in all these discussions so it’s very important we work together , that people not see this as an adversarial type relationship but see it much more as a very constructive partnership,” he said.
“I think that’s the spirit with which everybody is going forward.”
It’s also vital that the exploration, particularly the Ring of Fire, gets moving, Rae noted.
“It’s important to get on with it and it’s important to recognize we have to do business in a different way or to do business in a way that’s inclusive – make sure the benefits of prosperity are widely and deeply shared in the region,” he said.
Former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Ovide Mercredi agreed that Greenstone has been providing valuable leadership, particularly in bringing First Nations and non-First Nations people to a common table.
“To address their needs and problems but also their desire for development for building a better economy, better housing, better education, better infrastructure. All the needs that are so prevalent in Aboriginal communities,” he said.
“Greenstone, I think, is paving the way and showing the way for how First Nations and non-Aboriginal people can work together.”
Mercredi is the keynote speaker for Monday night’s gala event and said his address would focus on building bridges and making sure First Nations are respected in terms of their rights and the need for development.
“The North does not belong to the government and it does not belong to the industry. The North belongs to the people that live there. They should be the ones that have the most say and the most benefit from any development of any natural resources to be found in Northern Ontario,” he said.
For more information visit www.growgreenstoneexpo.com.
