Thunder Bay is primed and pumped for the Ring of Fire.

The City of Thunder Bay and the Fort William First Nation used the annual Ontario Good Roads conference to do some intensive lobbying with provincial politicians to gain a foothold on potential spinoffs from the Far North mineral deposits.

A delegation of politicians and officials with the city and First Nation met with nine provincial cabinets, including their local MPP, Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle, to talk opportunities for the city.

On their agenda was infrastructure investment, workforce development opportunities and energy prices and transmission.

In a statement, Mayor Keith Hobbs called the meetings “very productive and positive – the ball is definitely in our court now. We put forward a very strong case to the province to develop a fully integrated plan that will capitalize on the enormous mining opportunities in this region, and now it's up to us to be ready.”

City councillor Joe Virdiramo stated “now we need to move quickly to put plans in place to take advantage of the huge opportunities coming our way. The province is very supportive of working with Thunder Bay as the major business centre closest to the Ring of Fire.”

The city intends to create a Community Readiness Strategy involving the city's economic development commission, the chamber of commerce, Ambassadors Northwest, Fort William First Nation, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Lakehead University, Confederation College and other key community stakeholder groups.