Thanks for raising that point Ktmracing22, made me think about this new dynamic with the IAAC's Regional Assessment. I don't think the Feds took over the project - either with the Regional Assessment or otherwise behind the scenes. Why would they put their necks on the line for this mess? Not to mention the backlash from the province protecting its jurisdictional patch. The Feds are coming in with the money and leaving the heavy lifting to the Province.

The Northern Link Road is a Ford government initiative with Webequie and Marten Falls on-side as proponents. Neskantaga should be partnered as well but either they're playing bad cop to Chief Achneepineskum's good cop to leverage a better revenue sharing agreement out of Eagle's Nest and the Ring as a whole, or Moonias has strayed really far from the pack. Either way, Ford and Matawa are going to have to make a deal to get the mine up and running. The road is the foot in the door and to me the ducks are in a row; the money ($4.3 billion from Feds Budget 2021) and the will (proponents Marten Falls and Webequie). Has the Ring ever had 1) Fed money and 2) First Nations proponents at the same time?