First Nations and Ontario One Step Closer to Building All-Season Roads in the Ring of Fire

New agreement includes commitment to build community infrastructure to support economic development in the area

The Ontario government, Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation have signed an agreement to develop community infrastructure projects that could support future development opportunities in the area, including building all-seasons roads to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region.

The Community Development Agreement, signed during a ceremony today at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto, commits the province to supporting shovel-ready infrastructure projects. Those could include construction of health and training facilities, recreation centres, commercial buildings and labour force development programs. These projects would help improve the well-being and readiness of the First Nations to participate fully in the construction of road projects that would connect the Ring of Fire critical mineral deposits with manufacturing hubs in the south, paving the way for made-in-Ontario supply chains for batteries and electric vehicles.

Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations are currently leading three Environmental Assessments (EA) for the roads that would become the corridor to prosperity. Today’s agreement would commit the province and the two First Nations to work together to make decisions about the construction, ownership and operation of the road network, should the EAs be approved. This collaboration will accelerate project timelines and ensure the communities are ready to participate in future economic development opportunities in the region.

The three parties are all committed to ensuring their collaboration will continue to be grounded in the foundational principles of Bimachiiowin. For Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations, that means enhancing the communities’ well-being and livelihoods, including a focus on long-term sustainability to protect the land and the people’s future in a good way. Both Ontario and these two lead First Nations acknowledge the critical importance of further developing relationships and partnerships with neighbouring First Nations and to incorporate their interests into the plans for road construction.