A northern Ontario First Nation has signed a partnership deal with the province designed to speed up construction of a road to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire.
The province will give Webequie First Nation nearly $40 million to build a community centre with an arena, rebuild its airport terminal, which recently burned down, and buy materials and equipment to begin early work on a road to the proposed Ring of Fire mining site.
Webequie First Nation Chief Cornelius Wabasse says the deal will also provide his community with badly needed mental health resources and support.
Wabasse says the Webequie Supply Road is a pathway to economic opportunity for his isolated community, which can only be reached by air or via a winter road that is increasingly shrinking in length due to climate change.
There are two other proposed roads that would link Webequie to the provincial highway system hundreds of kilometres to the south.
Premier Doug Ford says construction on the road could begin as soon as next June, though he would need the federal government to drop an impact assessment he says is duplicative of the work Webequie has already done on a nearly complete environmental assessment.
“This historic agreement is a massive milestone in our plan to protect Ontario, achieve economic reconciliation with First Nations and bring prosperity to Northern Ontario and across the province by unlocking the Ring of Fire,” said Ford.
“I want to thank Chief Wabasse and Webequie First Nation for their partnership in getting this done, so we can build a more competitive, resilient and self-reliant economy that can stand up to tariffs and anything else that comes our way. Now, we need the federal government to work with us to remove duplication so we can get shovels in the ground, building these roads as soon as the ground thaws this coming spring.”
