Premier Doug Ford and the chief of the Aroland First Nation are laying out differing timelines for tapping into the mineral-rich “Ring of Fire” in traditional First Nations lands.
Holding up an almost pinched-together thumb and index finger, Ford said at a public appearance in April that the provincial government and the First Nation are “that far away” from making a deal on the first 80-kilometre road into the 5,000-square-kilometre region.
But that statement might be “a little premature,” Aroland Chief Sonny Gagnon told The Trilliumshortly after.
“There’s lots to discuss,” said Gagnon, who was elected in November. “But again, I’m very optimistic that we’ll come to a conclusion, hopefully within my two-year term here.”
The Aroland First Nation sits around 300 kilometres south of the Ring of Fire, a potential mining hotspot for its stores of metals and critical minerals that are needed for the clean energy transition. Ford has pushed to mine the region as part of a strategy to make Ontario an electric vehicle manufacturing hub, stating he would “hop on a bulldozer” himself to develop the area. But the province’s plans have been hotly contested for their impacts on Indigenous communities, biodiversity, and soil carbon storage.
Plus, there is currently no road access to the mineral riches, with the closest highway running through the Aroland First Nation. Ontario wants to build inroads in three phases, beginning with the 80-kilometre stretch through Aroland.
But talks so far “haven’t really scratched the surface,” Gagnon said. “It’s still early stages of talking to our membership.”
Conditions on revenue-sharing, electrification, housing, and protecting the First Nation’s way of life still need to be discussed, he added. As well, the community’s housing infrastructure was built to accommodate fewer people than are currently living there, so resources would be further strained by an influx of outsiders if development moved forward.
Several other First Nations in and around the Ring of Fire have already reached deals with the province. Gagnon stressed that his community is “pro-development” but must get a good deal.
“One thing’s for sure: if C$90-billion worth of minerals is going to come out of the Ring of Fire, I’m not going to sit and watch that go by my front door,” he said. “We’re living in Third World conditions, and here’s an opportunity where we can manage to get out of these kinds of conditions and to be self-sustaining.”
