By Carol Mulligan, Sudbury Star

Monday, November 24, 2014 10:51:48 EST PM

Whitby-Oshawa MPP Christine Elliott, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli, Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod and Barrie MP Patrick Brown were asked what their plans were to spur development of the Ring of Fire.

"We've heard a lot of talk and promises from the Liberals," wrote the Huntsville resident, "but no real plan to move forward."

All four candidates couldn't have agreed more with that statement.

Fedeli summed up the frustration of northerners with the lack of development of the chromite deposits 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay at the first of six debates before a new party leader is named May 9.

A former two-term mayor of North Bay, Fedeli said he remembered the Liberals' Northern Development and Mines minister visiting his town to talk about this "great, vast find."

A prospector who still has a licence and pans for gold, Fedeli was so excited about the area's potential, he immediately travelled there and has visited three more times.

It was exciting that first visit to see 250 people working at camps operated by Cliffs Natural Resources and Noront Resources. On his last trip this year, Fedeli said there were fewer than six people working and the camps were gone.

Rather than dwell on the past and what he believes is a Liberal government that "ideologically ... just doesn't want to see this happen," Fedeli outlined what he would do to develop the Ring.

Noront is interested in "the easy nickel" rather than the hard-to-get-at chromite, so Fedeli and the Tories would build a road to move ore from the Ring to Webequie, the nearest first nation.

His government would then make the winter road from Webequie to Pickle Lake an all-season road while members of first nations, government and industry were involved in the design, construction, financial and legal work of building a north-south rail route to open up the area.

Elliott called the question about the Ring of Fire the most relevant of the night in terms of economic development because the area has huge potential, not just for the North but for all of the province.

"We have a provincial government that keeps mentioning they're going to do something. They've created many, many panels, but they haven't actually got anything done," said Elliott. As a result, companies like Cliffs have walked away.

Elliott slammed the government of Kathleen Wynne for complaining the federal government isn't doing anything to help the province develop the area, but said federal Conservatives want to know there's a plan in place "before they're going to turn a cheque over to the provincial government."

Brown said if he were premier, he would be ecstatic about the potential of the Ring of Fire and its mineral wealth estimated to be as great as $60 billion.

The Ontario Liberals have committed $1 billion to develop infrastructure and complained Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government won't match it.

"Would you trust Kathleen Wynne's government with a billion dollars and no plan? Not a single project specified?" asked Brown. "Not a chance."

MacLeod touched on one of the key themes at the two-hour debate when she outlined the three things she would do to move the Ring of Fire forward, and that was lower electricity rates.

She would do "basically the opposite of what Kathleen Wynne has done," said MacLeod, who went 1,480 feet underground at Glencore's Nickel Rim South Mine earlier in the day.

The province needs to develop better relations with the federal government and first nations because bad relationships are inhibiting progress.

Hydro prices, a major concern for any company, need to be brought under control so companies don't look to either Manitoba or Quebec, where electricity rates are a third of Ontario's, to process ore.

Ontario also needs to get its competitive tax rate in order, said MacLeod, saying it is a "job-killing regime" the way it is now, particularly with the new pension tax.

"This isn't a competitive environment and, when Cliffs decided to leave Ontario, they're bringing the jobs we need with them," said MacLeod.

The debate was fast-paced and civil, with PC party president Richard Ciano moderating and fielding questions submitted online and from audience members.

In opening remarks, Brown said he was tired of seeing Progressive Conservatives lose in Ontario, and quoted interim party leader Jim Wilson as saying, "We have no feet left to shoot."

Brown said a small group of people running the party, who were out of touch with the grassroots, lost the last election for the Tories.

Former leader Tim Hudak's refusal to participate in a northern debate before the June 12 election in which Wynne won a majority was an example of that disconnect, said Brown.

MacLeod said she wants to be premier and return Ontario to the land of opportunity it was when she came here from Nova Scotia with $200 in her pocket two decades ago. Then, you could walk down a street in Ottawa and see jobs advertised everywhere for twice the minimum wage.

"This province has given me everything," said MacLeod, who said her party must return to its core values to win Ontarians' trust and the next election.

Fedeli said Ontario was once the economic engine of Canada and Northern Ontario was the fuel that powered it.

He has a bold vision to get the province back to its rightful place in Confederation called Ontario First.

The Wynne government has "forced a fantasy vision" on Northern Ontario with the Far North Act, which Fedeli said "strung a museum ribbon across half of Ontario."

Elliott said she's seeking the leadership for the same reason she first ran for the PCs in 2006, when her late husband, Jim Flaherty, gave up his provincial seat to run federally.

She entered politics to resolve issues important to families and those with disabilities, and is still driven by that. She also has the business acumen to help Ontario reach its full potential with a "positive, optimistic vision" for its future.

All leadership candidates said they want to rebuild the party after its disastrous showing in June. There are just more than 10,000 PC party members in Ontario, a 50-year-low.

carol.mulligan@sunmedia.ca