First Nation calls on auditor general to investigate Ontario's spending on Ring of Fire mineral development
CBC
A Treaty 9 First Nation is calling on the province's auditor general to investigate government spending on the development of a large mineral deposit in northern Ontario.
Neskantaga and a legal clinic with York University's Osgoode Hall have requested a "value-for-money audit" into government spending on roads and development projects in the Ring of Fire area, located about 540 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.
The province considers the area "one of the most promising mineral development opportunities in Ontario in over a century," yet key questions remain about the roads that must be built through the lands and water systems of several remote, fly-in First Nations.
The Ring of Fire area is roughly 100 kilometres in diameter, and 85 per cent of the mineral claims staked on the Crown land are held by Noront Resources, according to a brief on their website.
Yet questions remain about how much the roads will cost, who is going to pay for them, and who will own them and control access, said Dayna Scott, who wrote the request for the auditor general investigation.
"The public should be made aware if their government is spending public money on precarious mining investments with dubious returns while other sectors, namely health and long-term care, remain chronically underfunded," wrote Scott, an associate professor and research chair in environmental law and justice with York University.
A spokesperson for Ontario's auditor general confirmed to CBC News they have received and are assessing the request.
The Ring of Fire mineral area is in the heart of Treaty 9 and made up of chromite, nickel and copper deposits. There is currently no road or rail access to the deposits, so it's been proposed that three all-season roads through the boreal forest and swampy peat lands of northern Ontario be built.
The 450 kilometres of new roads would connect several fly-in First Nations as well as the mining deposits to the provincial highway network.
Despite the global pandemic, several state of emergencies declared by First Nations in the area, and a moratorium declared earlier this year on all development in the Ring of Fire by three First Nations, the provincially mandated environmental assessments for each of the roads have moved forward in the last 18 months.
It's estimated the environmental assessments will be complete by the end of 2023, according to project guidelines from Noront Resources, which is courting takeover offers by two Australian mining giants for the lion's share of mineral claims in the area.
According to the letter written by Scott, the cost of the roads to the Ring of Fire is estimated at $1.6 billion, yet there is "no firm public commitments to Ring of Fire infrastructure funding."
Greg Rickford, provincial minister responsible for northern development, natural resources and forestry as well as Indigenous affairs, was unavailable for an interview, according to his press secretary.
CBC News asked the province to confirm the estimated $1.6-billion cost, as well as how it plans to pay for the construction of the roads and who will own them.
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