Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced an agreement Tuesday worth more than $20 million to help prepare a remote northern Ontario First Nation for possible mining development in the future.
Aroland First Nation, 345 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, is located near the “gateway to the Ring of Fire” mining region, the provincial government said in a press release.
The Ring of Fire is a proposed mining area in Northern Ontario, spanning about 5,000 square kilometres. The region contains rich mineral deposits needed for Ontario’s ambitions for a complete electric vehicle supply chain.
However, the Ring of Fire also sits on carbon-intensive muskeg, which could release two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide if it is developed, or the equivalent of annual emissions from 5,000 natural gas power plants.
The agreement’s funding will also support upgrades to Anaconda and Painter Lake Roads, which create a network of connections, along with Marten Falls Community Access Road, to the Ring of Fire region, according to the province. The roads will serve as an important all-season lifeline for remote communities, providing increased services and cheaper access to goods. Support for business development and well-being projects were also included in the agreement.
“With the risk of U.S. tariffs, it’s never been more important for us to work together to do everything possible to keep our economy competitive. At the top of the list is unlocking the economic potential of the Ring of Fire region,” Ford said in the press release.
At a press conference, Aroland Chief Sonny Gagnon stopped short of endorsing a straight path to development in the Ring of Fire.
“The Ring of Fire is somewhere far ahead, we’re only talking Marten Falls Community Access Road, and that’s where it ends,” Gagnon told reporters at a press conference. “It’s not leading to the Ring of Fire unless other communities are interested in moving the project further.”
Some First Nations like Marten Falls and Webequie, which are proponents for all-season roads leading to the North, have expressed interest in developing the Ring of Fire. But others like Neskantaga First Nation Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug and Muskrat Dam have been vocally opposed, forming the First Nations Land Defence Alliance to fight encroachment on their traditional territories.
Canada’s National Observer contacted Gagnon and Chief Chris Moonias from Neskantaga but did not hear back in time for publication. Attempts to reach offices of the premier and Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford were also unsuccessful by deadline.
Anna Baggio, conservation director for Wildlands League, told Canada’s National Observer that Gagnon’s comments at the press conference prove that Aroland road upgrades and the Marten Falls access road proposal do not guarantee the Ring of Fire’s development. Instead, they are important for what they offer community members in those First Nations, Baggio said.
“The main roads for the Ring of Fire are still outstanding,” she said.
Before roads can be built to the mining district, Baggio said a lot needs to happen within First Nations in the North. “There needs to be community consensus and I don't think there is yet,” she cautioned.
Baggio remains confused about why the Ring of Fire is “sucking up so much oxygen” when more developed parts of Ontario already have existing mineral deposits closer to infrastructure and market.
“I think there's something strange going on here, that all roads lead to the Ring of Fire for some reason,” she said.
Baggio is also concerned that the Ford government’s reconciliation strategy seems to be focused on economic reconciliation and resource development. Meanwhile,Ontario is still not participating in Indigenous-led conservation discussions and the federal government’s recently announced Ring of Fire regional assessment.
— with files from Isaac Phan Nay
Matteo Cimellaro / Canada’s National Observer / Local Journalism Initiative
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