Ignace Mayor Lee Kennard says the highway from his community north to Pickle Lake should be examined as a staging area for mining development in the North’s famed ‘Ring Of Fire’.

Kennard’s been sharing his thoughts with aboriginal and provincial leaders to build more awareness of the benefits of using the highway. He says it’s a better option than the railroad that has been proposed to link Nakina with the mineral zone.

The massive chromite deposit in Ontario’s Far North occurs in the vicinity of Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations.

While Hwy. 599 originates significantly westward from its destinations far above the north shore of Lake Superior, Kennard says there is already significant infrastructure in place.

“Take a look at an Ontario road map and the first thing you notice is the three large rivers that would have to be crossed,” Kennard says. “That represents a serious environmental footprint. We already have bridges on Hwy. 599.”

The rivers in question are the Attawapiskat, Albany, and Little Current – all of them designated as provincial waterway parks. The Albany is considered the longest river in Ontario.

His second reason tugs at the sentiments of First Nation communities who the Mayor hopes to rally to his cause. North of Pickle Lake, the road to Musselwhite Mine branches off to the east as a winter road to Summer Beaver and Webequie – two communities closest to the “Ring of Fire”.

“Upgrading winter roads to provide year-round access to northern communities is just plain common sense,” says Kennard. “We can use existing infrastructure to reduce construction costs. And it opens up travel to the south for people in the north who have to leave for health care and other services only available in larger centres.”

The mayor is not shy to put forward the interests of the small town he represents. Ignace is at the southern end of Highway #599.

“Local businesses would get a boost,” he says. “We once had a thriving service economy for the mines that operated in the ‘80s and we could have it again. I think that the added traffic on Highway 599 would encourage new businesses in town and we have the added advantage of good highway and railway access to the rest of the country.

“Who knows,” he adds, “it could even revive our municipal airport. The “Ring Of Fire” is not that far away and most of the northern communities have airports much like we do.”