http://www.nugget.ca/2016/02/20/ring-of-fire-a-unique-precious-asset

To the editor:

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the recent opinion piece by guest columnist Mark Carbonelli.

The Ring of Fire represents an incredible opportunity forNorthern Ontario, Ontario as a whole and for Canada.

Ontario is confident that developing the Ring of Fire will be a vibrant and leading element for the economy of this region and a boon to First Nations partners, our mining stakeholders and local municipalities.

This is a complex undertaking that requires care and due diligence to get it right. I can assure you our government is working hard to continue our progress on development in the Ring of Fire. I join with people such as Mr. Carbonelli eager to see the Ring of Fire tangibly helping to drive the region’s economy and growing Ontario’s mining sector as a whole.

Our government has committed to making strategic investments to support the development of this major asset. In our 2015 budget, our government reaffirmed our $1-billion commitment to build strategic transportation infrastructure.

We’re working closely with our First Nation partners to ensure they are actively involved and benefitting from development in this region. We’ve reached a historic Regional Framework Agreement with the Matawa-member First Nations and this past spring we announced a joint investment with the federal government of more than $785,000 to enable Webequie, Eabametoong, Neskantaga and Nibinamik First Nation to work together and complete a community service corridor study;

We need to be mindful of the important aspects that influence the timing of development, including transportation infrastructure, in the Ring of Fire. We must consider market conditions, discussions with First Nations and the need for the federal government to partner with us on this project of national significance.

The Ring of Fire’s development has attracted a great deal of interest and understandably so. We want to maximize the benefit of this unique and precious mineral asset and to do so in a smart and sustainable manner. That is our ongoing commitment.

Michael Gravelle

Minister of Northern Development and Mines