The Ford government has signed an agreement with a First Nations community to speed up a section of the road to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire in exchange for tens of millions of dollars in community infrastructure.
On Thursday morning, Premier Doug Ford signed a new agreement with Marten Falls First Nation to move forward with an all-season road connecting it to Ontario’s highway network.
“This agreement is a historic milestone for the future prosperity and security of our province and Marten Falls First Nation,” Ford said.
The deal will see Marten Falls receive $39.5 million from the Ontario government to spend on “important community infrastructure.” The First Nation will then agree to complete its work on a road to the Ring of Fire by Feb. 20 next year “on an expedited basis.”
Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation Greg Rickford said the agreement would see some materials and resources flow immediately this season, as soon as winter roads are functional.
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The rest of the agreement, he said, would follow once the environmental assessment was completed in February.
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Pending approvals, the road — which is just part of a larger network of new roads needed to reach the Ring of Fire — will begin early works construction in August 2026. That timeline will depend on the federal government waiving its assessments.
Bruce Achneepineskum, Chief of Marten Falls First Nation, said his community was looking forward to the road, which will replace fly-in travel in the summer and temporary ice roads in the winter.
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“We see a very, very big light at the end of the tunnel right now, and they’re excited to know it is going to happen in a few short years,” he said. “That they’re actually going to be able to drive in and out of the community and access services.”
Marten Falls is about 450 km north of Thunder Bay, Ont., accessible via a winter road for a month or two a year and otherwise only reachable by air.
The agreement with Marten Falls is part of a wider pattern of plans with First Nations to agree to new road infrastructure connecting the Ring of Fire to the existing highway network.
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A similar deal is already in place with Webequie First Nation, which is north of Marten Falls.
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The government’s broader plan is designed to kick-start massive mining operations in the north, where the province hopes to unlock critical minerals, which it has put at the centre of its vision to be an electric vehicle manufacturing hub.
In pursuit of that goal in the spring, the province tabled Bill 5, a controversial piece of legislation which allowed it to suspend provincial and municipal laws in areas declared as special economic zones.
The reaction to the legislation from several First Nations was swift, with some calling promises to consult after the legislation had passed “smoke and mirrors” from the government.
The legislation was rushed through in the spring because the province said it needed to act fast in the face of tariffs, and passed amidst protests and shouts from the public gallery.
Five months after it passed, however, the government has not declared any special economic zones and on Thursday, it said they were not part of the discussion with Marten Falls.
“So far, there hasn’t been an aspect of Bill 5 in getting these agreements and planning the infrastructure,” Rickford said. “This has always been about First Nations leadership.”
— with files from The Canadian Press
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