Progress in the Ring of Fire – or the lack of it – was on the agenda of federal Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford and provincial Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle during a meeting in Ottawa, Jan. 27.
In their first “constructive” meeting of 2015, a joint news release stated the ministers discussed funding arrangements to extend transportation infrastructure into the isolated Far North region to support mining and improve access to remote First Nation communities.
The two sides have been at an impasse on how to work together in the James Bay lowlands where exploration has ground to a halt and the biggest explorer, Cliffs Natural Resources, has abandoned work and seems likely to leave Ontario.
The Wynne government has accused the Harper government of dragging its feet in matching Ontario’s $1 billion infrastructure commitment for development of the mining camp, while Ottawa has chastised Queen’s Park for its lack of a detailed plan from its much-maligned Ring of Fire development corporation.
The news release said discussion focused on the Ottawa’s $53 billion Building Canada Fund, set aside for provincial and municipal infrastructure, including “legacy resource development projects like the Ring of Fire.”
Both Rickford and Gravelle agreed on the importance of maintaining in close contact on this file and promised to meet again soon.
Briefly on the agenda was discussion of an online Ottawa media report that said the Prime Minister’s Office was “interested” in a proposal by TGR Rail of Toronto to support a concept being floated by the Mushkegowuk Crees involving an eastern rail access route into the Ring of Fire combined with a James Bay seaport to ship out chromite ore to market. The rail company further made it known it wanted to buy the Ontario Northland Railway to make it happen.
The Ontario government responded that the Crown agency will remain under public ownership.
In responding to the media report, Chris McCluskey, Rickford’s spokesman, said while the federal government “welcomes new proposals for specific, tangible projects to develop resources in the region, the feds haven’t expressed any views on this proposal.
“The Government of Canada recognizes that the purchase of the Ontario Northland Railway is a matter of provincial jurisdiction. We respect provincial jurisdiction."
Early last year, the province signed an exclusive framework agreement with the Matawa First Nations of northwestern Ontario that set up a road map, through consensus, for how the Ring of Fire would be developed.
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