OTTAWA, June 25 — The federal government is pushing back on Premier Doug Ford’s claim that it has contributed “zip, zero, zilch” to Ontario’s Ring of Fire development, citing millions already spent and up to $1.5 billion available for mining and infrastructure projects. Last week, Ford criticised the federal government for not providing funding for infrastructure linked to the proposed mining region in northern Ontario and asked Ottawa to provide cash to help advance development there. The province has already committed about $1 billion toward the project, Ford said.
However, in response to questions from Canada’s National Observer, a spokesperson for Natural Resources Canada disputed Ford’s claim about inadequate federal support. According to the federal government, since 2009, the Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor) has provided $17.8 million through its Northern Ontario Development Program for 26 projects supporting regional planning and community readiness in Northern Ontario.
Some of that work helps communities prepare for economic opportunities linked to the Ring of Fire, such as planning, training, hiring staff or preparing studies, the government said. Located about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, the Ring of Fire is a region in the James Bay Lowlands that contains minerals used in electric vehicles, batteries and other clean energy technologies.
The federal spokesperson said two grants were also provided through Natural Resources Canada’s First and Last Mile Fund to support Indigenous community engagement with proposed infrastructure projects linked to critical minerals in the Ring of Fire. The technical reality here is that the federal presence in the region has been modest but not non-existent.
The $17.8 million in FedNor funding over 17 years works out to roughly $1 million a year, spread across two dozen projects. That is not the kind of money that builds roads or power lines in the James Bay Lowlands, a vast peatland complex that poses serious engineering challenges. What the federal government is offering is something different: up to $1.5 billion in potential funding for mining and infrastructure projects.
The detail that matters is that this money appears to be available, not yet committed. The federal spokesperson did not say how much of that sum has actually been allocated to Ring of Fire-related work, nor on what timeline. The dispute comes as both levels of government eye the critical minerals in the region — nickel, copper, zinc, chromite — that are essential inputs for electric vehicle batteries and clean energy technology.
Ontario sees the Ring of Fire as an economic development opportunity for First Nations communities in the remote north. Ottawa sees it as part of a broader strategy to secure domestic supply chains for critical minerals.
As ever with the Ring of Fire, the gap between political rhetoric and on-the-ground progress remains wide. Ford wants federal cheques for infrastructure. Ottawa points to programs already in place.
The question now is whether the two sides can agree on a funding mechanism before the next provincial election cycle heats up.
