Latest news with #RingOfFire
CBC
17 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Ontario to make Ring of Fire a special economic zone 'as quickly as possible': Ford
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province intends to designate the mineral-rich Ring of Fire as a special economic zone as quickly as possible. He says he and several ministers will consult all summer with First Nations about the new law that allows the Ontario government to suspend provincial and municipal rules before making the designation. The law seeks to speed up the building of large projects, particularly mines. First Nations are livid about the new law and say it tramples their rights and ignores their concerns. The province passed Bill 5 on Wednesday despite several weeks of First Nations protests throughout the province and at Queen's Park. Critics also say the bill guts protections for endangered and threatened species.
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Ontario expected to pass controversial mining law; Ford warns against blockades
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government is expected to pass a controversial mining law that gives it the power to suspend provincial and municipal laws for chosen projects in areas it deems to have economic importance. If Bill 5 ends up being challenged and found unconstitutional in court, Ford wouldn't say if he would use the notwithstanding clause to save it, but says that he would "cross that bridge" when he comes to it. The proposed legislation has sparked an angry backlash from First Nations who say the bill tramples their rights and ignores their concerns, and they have warned they may blockade roads and railways in protest. But Ford said Wednesday that wouldn't be "very wise." "You can't break the law," Ford said. "Simple as that ... They need to move on or they'll be dealt with appropriately." When asked to clarify his comments, Ford said he doesn't direct the police and any enforcement would be up to the Ontario Provincial Police or local police services. The legislation proposes to create so-called "special economic zones," where the government could suspend laws in order to speed up projects such as mines. Ford cites the need to move more quickly on mining places such, as the Ring of Fire, in order to strengthen the province's economy while it is under attack from U.S. President Donald Trump. WATCH | Ontario Liberals attempt to stall Bill 5: Ontario Liberals table 4,000 amendments to stall controversial Bill 5 18 hours ago Duration 2:52 At Queen's Park, the Liberals are trying something new to stall Bill 5: tabling 4,000 amendments. As CBC's Lorenda Reddekopp explains, the move is the latest attempt to slow the PCs' efforts to push the bill through. NDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa, who represents the northern Ontario riding of Kiiwetinoong that is home to many First Nations and the Ring of Fire, said that Ford is not listening to their concerns. "This is not the wild, wild west," he said, surrounded by several people who flew in from various communities in his riding. "We are the ones that live in these communities on these lands. He does not live in those lands ... You cannot legislatively bulldoze your way. These are the people that will stop that bulldozer coming north." Ford's government is fast-tracking the bill and limiting third-reading debate and, while the opposition parties tried to stall the bill at the committee stage, it is set to return to the legislature Wednesday afternoon for third reading and an expected final vote. In response to the growing backlash, Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce said late last month that the province would amend Bill 5 to explicitly include duty to consult provisions throughout the legislation. That amendment did not end up making it in the bill due to the tactics the Liberals used in committee. Ford said it's unfortunate that opposition parties wanted to "drag this out," but his government will consult with First Nations over the coming months.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Morning Update: Canada's not-quite-so-fast track
Good morning. Canada's premiers might be overestimating how quickly they can build – more on that below, along with the latest on Western Canada's wildfires and a proposal for students using AI. But first: Canada's premiers arrived for their meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday bearing a wish list of nation-building projects they want to see fast-tracked. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is looking to expand trade on Hudson Bay's western shore. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston seeks to export offshore wind energy further inland. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith would like a pipeline. And Ontario Premier Doug Ford dreams of mining in the Ring of Fire, a 5,000-sq-km stretch north of Thunder Bay that's rich in critical minerals. They didn't quite get it. Instead of announcing a roster of projects, Carney emerged from the meeting in Saskatoon with a set of criteria. To get fast-tracked, proposals will need to grow the economy, contribute to clean growth, create autonomy and resilience, have a 'high likelihood' of execution, and represent a 'high priority' for Indigenous leaders. Ford put on a brave face, describing Carney as Santa Claus, but it couldn't have been the gift he'd hoped to unwrap. Going into the meeting, the Premier had predicted that 'we're going to make real, positive changes. No longer are we going to be waiting years and years to get shovels in the ground.' He's correct that it's been years – 18 of them, to be exact – since a junior mining company first made a promising nickel discovery in the Ring of Fire. Ford swore back in 2018 that he'd hop on a bulldozer himself to get construction started, but no actual mining has happened yet. Still, it's not just red tape holding up development. Proposals have stalled as a result of environmental concerns, infrastructure issues and Indigenous opposition. That's the challenge with building major projects quickly – you can't simply barrel over these roadblocks. Ford has other ideas. This spring, Ontario announced its own plan to fast-track resource development: the controversial Bill 5, which the government is currently speeding through Queen's Park before summer break starts on Thursday. Under the bill, the government can suspend any provincial regulation – including labour and environmental laws – in any area that it designates a 'special economic zone.' Bill 5 also guts Ontario's Endangered Species Act and is vague on its plans for Indigenous consultations. After pushback from Indigenous communities, the Premier's Office said last week it would amend the bill to affirm its obligations to consult First Nations. That duty is already established by the Constitution. Yesterday, several hundred First Nations members travelled to Queen's Park to protest Bill 5, which they say tramples on their treaty rights. Indigenous leaders, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, opposition politicians and environmentalists all called the legislation an antidemocratic power grab. Even the Toronto Zoo is asking Ford to reconsider. The Premier remains undaunted. He says mining in the Ring of Fire is necessary to shore up Ontario's economic resilience in the face of U.S. tariffs. He named Bill 5 the 'Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act,' just to underscore the point. But it's hard to put a number on just how much of the economy will be unleashed here. While Ford has claimed the Ring of Fire contains 'upwards of a trillion dollars,' there's no proof that the region has anywhere near that amount of mineral wealth. 'The Ring of Fire is essentially only one fairly small nickel mine – Eagle's Nest, which is the only project that has a chance of being put into production over the next decade,' Niall McGee, The Globe's mining reporter, told me. 'It's not the generational wealth creator that politicians and industry have maintained. It may get there eventually, but a lot more geological and feasibility studies need to be done to prove the economics.' And until someone ponies up to build the roads to Eagle's Nest, the entire project will remain in limbo. The Australian-based company that owns Eagle's Nest, Wyloo Metals, can't afford to pay for the infrastructure. Although Ontario has committed roughly $1-billion, at least twice that money is required for the work. Carney will probably choose the Ring of Fire for one of his fast-tracked proposals. The federal government might even shell out the extra $1-billion for roads. But that doesn't address the very real concerns of labour organizers, environmentalists and First Nations leaders. It's unclear if the project's return on investment will be worth the heavy cost. Wildfires in Western Canada have forced tens of thousands of people out of their homes and prompted hundreds of air quality warnings in four provinces yesterday. Read more here about the efforts to contain the fires and find rooms for evacuees. At home: Former prime minister Stephen Harper has a message for Ottawa: Mend relations with India now. Abroad: South Koreans vote for a new president today in a snap election triggered by the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law in December. Short term: Hoping it will alleviate a housing crunch, Montreal moved ahead with new rules banning short-term rentals for most of the year. Long term: University professors don't see AI going away, and some are now proposing that students learn how to use it better.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Last-minute changes to Ontario mining bill are not good enough, First Nations say
A stream runs along the outskirts of Neskantaga First Nation, part of northern Ontario's mineral-rich Ring of Fire region, on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO — Ontario First Nations say the provincial government's last-minute changes to a controversial mining bill are not good enough and have come too late. Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nations in northern Ontario, says the province should scrap Bill 5 and draft new legislation alongside Indigenous leadership. The proposed law seeks to speed up the development of large projects such as mines, and while First Nations are not necessarily opposed to such moves, they want a seat at the decision-making table. The legislation proposes to create so-called 'special economic zones' that would suspend provincial and municipal laws for certain projects. The province intends to name the Ring of Fire as the first such zone, but ministers have promised that affected First Nations will be consulted first. A filibuster by New Democrats and Liberals forced a delay in the committee process to adopt the bill, but the province still hopes to pass the bill into law next week. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025. Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
Globe and Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Carney and Ford show two different paths for ‘unleashing' Canada's economy
The governments of Ontario and Canada are both moving to fast-track development in the Ring of Fire region – but they are going about it in very different ways. According to a May 23 letter from Canada's Privy Council Office obtained by The Globe and Mail, Canada has invited Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Leo Friday to Ottawa to 'consult and cooperate' on proposed legislation around projects identified to be in the national interest. It says new legislation is coming in early June that would facilitate regulations and development by creating a new Major Projects Office. And in the letter, Canada promises to uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the duty to consult: 'Now more than ever, the future of Canada's economy depends on a collaborative and coordinated approach among federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments.' Ottawa gave the Mushkegowuk Council, which represents First Nations communities along the western side of James Bay, seven days to meet or submit their thoughts. That is a compressed timeline, to be sure – but an effort to consult is better than nothing at all. Changes to Bill 5 possible amid warnings of Indigenous protests, Ontario ministers say Ontario Premier Doug Ford has offered nothing to First Nations concerning the passage of the ham-fisted Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, which has ignored any input from 133 Ontario First Nations and would breach their Constitutional rights under Section 35. That bill, which is being rammed through the committee process, proposes creating 'special economic zones' where mining companies can develop as they like while ignoring certain regulations or the requirement for Indigenous consultations – in other words, effectively creating lawless areas. Bill 5 also guts the province's Endangered Species Act, a move that threatens the livelihoods of wolverines, caribou, migratory birds, bears, and whales, among others. The Toronto Zoo even warned the bill could undo decades of conservation efforts and drive species to extinction. Ottawa's overtures indicate that Prime Minister Mark Carney's government at least knows what UNDRIP says and what consultation means. It goes without saying, meanwhile, that Mr. Ford is ignoring UNDRIP. Ontario, a signatory to Treaty 9, has decided to set the stage for confrontation. 'We have to keep fighting,' Grand Chief Friday told me after he passionately testified in the Ininimowin language on Monday at a Queen's Park committee hearing. 'This will not work for us. It is the same procedure as in 1905. They just come in and say they want signatures.' What our ancestors understood in 1905 – when Treaty 9, which encompasses most of northern Ontario from the Manitoba border to James Bay, was signed – was that all the land and resources would be shared in an honourable way, not stolen. 'Our people were expecting so much wealth to come up for them and for good communities as well. They were told they were going to be given what they required for communities, and that never happened,' he told me. Instead, being boxed in on reserves and kept out of Canadian society happened. Indian Residential Schools happened. Genocide happened. And now, U.S. President Donald Trump and the world are hungry for the resources underneath the territories we have walked on for thousands of years. It feels as though Ottawa and Ontario are playing good cop, bad cop concerning critical mineral extraction. But what Canada and the provinces must understand is that First Nations will not be sidelined from building Canada; after all, this country was created from the treaties our ancestors signed. First Nations leaders warn of confrontation over Ontario's 'special economic zones' in omnibus bill On Monday, Indigenous leadership warned Ontario that Bill 5 must be scrapped, or they risk blocked or stalled projects, court interventions and further escalation of conflict. 'Ontario is trying to legislate us out of the conversation. That won't work,' Anishinabek Nation Grand Chief Linda DeBassige said. 'Withdraw Bill 5. There is no path forward with this legislation in its current form. Repeal it. Start again. Work with us … so that we can create something that will allow us to ensure not only that our economies survive, but that our environment, our lands, our waters, our animals, are here for our great-great-great-grandchildren, those who we will never meet but who we are responsible for." As an Anishinaabe woman, she continued, 'it is not lost on me that it is our women who historically gave direction and sent out our warriors to what is necessary. I know they are listening today.' She added: 'If this bill proceeds in its current form, we will be idle no more.' Once again, Canadian governments are looking to Indigenous Peoples and their lands to save them. But they are coming to First Nations communities who have nothing left to lose – and everything to defend.
