The province is willing to consider a ports authority proposal aimed at revitalizing the ONTC as part of its divestment process, says a spokeswoman for Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci.

Laura Blondeau confirmed Thursday the General Chairperson's Association (CGA), which represents unionized employees at the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, recently met with Bartolucci to discuss the proposal, which calls for the transfer of the Ontario Northland Railway and other ONTC assets to a new ports authority that would be operated under the Canada Marine Act.

Blondeau said the CGA was advised to put together a business plan and participate in the procurement process by submitting the proposal to Infrastructure Ontario.

GCA spokesman Brian Stevens could not be reached Thursday for comment.

A request for pre-qualifications closed late last month for the purchase of Ontera, the telecommunications arm of the ONTC and the first division of the Crown agency that's up for sale.

The province has said there is significant interest in Ontera. And the next step in the process, the issuing of a request for proposals, could come later this month.

The entire process is expected to be completed by early winter, and the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission will review any sale and ensure mandatory service obligations are addressed.

The province has not yet indicated which division will be sold next.

The CGA proposal was unveiled last month during a news conference at North Bay city hall.

The plan includes building a rail line that would ship thousands of tons per day of chromite, nickel and other materials from the Ring of Fire site. The new line would run from Nakina to Koper Lake in Northwestern Ontario.

The plan also includes rebuilding a railway, formerly owned by Canadian National Railway, from Nakina to Hearst. From there, the existing Ontario Northland railway continues to North Bay. The new railway would be funded through private investors and bonds.

Union officials said the first step had already been completed with the creation of the James Bay and Lowlands Ports Trustee Corp., which would become a port authority if approved by the federal government.

They said discussions regarding the proposal had also already taken place with First Nations in the James Bay Lowlands and Ring of Fire claim holder Canada Chrome Corp.

The Ring of Fire, about 250 kilometres west of James Bay, holds North America's largest deposit of chromite. The site is in a remote area without rail access, all-season roads, electricity or communications networks. Three companies have been exploring the site to better define what minerals are there. But no decision has yet been made about how and by what route the site will be accessed.

gord.young@sunmedia.ca