Ontario Premier Doug Ford pitches railway to Ring of Fire, Alberta is on board
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed two non-legally binding memorandums of understanding about increasing trade and building energy corridors, including commitments to build oil and natural gas pipelines to northern and southern Ontario.
Ford has been trying for years to build a critical mineral supply chain that would connect the mines in northern Ontario to processing facilities further south. It was first part of his vision to create an electric vehicle battery supply chain, after significant investments in several plants in recent years.
Lately, Ford has been pitching mining the Ring of Fire region as another tool to fight U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing trade war.
"New rail lines would connect Ontario's Ring of Fire region, critical mineral mining projects and processing facilities to western Canadian ports as we build an end-to-end critical mineral supply chain," Ford said Monday at the Calgary Stampede alongside Smith.
"This is how we diversify our trading partners, this is how we make ourselves less reliant on the United States."
The two provinces will embark in the fall on a feasibility study on railways, pipelines and port projects.
Two First Nations are currently leading environmental assessments on three roads that would connect the Ring of Fire region, and a current mining exploration site within the area called Eagle's Nest, to the provincial highway system.
Ford's government recently passed legislation, known as Bill 5, that creates so-called special economic zones where provincial and municipal laws can be suspended for certain projects.
Ford has said the province will name the Ring of Fire as the first such zone.
Prime Minister Mark Carney's government recently passed similar legislation designed to fast track "nation building" projects.
Both Ford and Carney want to see the Ring of Fire mined for its critical minerals and say they will respect First Nations' rights in the process.
But the two new laws have sparked outrage from First Nations who say they weren't properly consulted about the legislation and their concerns are being ignored.
First Nations have threatened blockades of highways, railways and mines in response. Several communities have begun mobilizing peacefully across different parts of Ontario.
That included a four-day traffic slowdown along the Trans-Canada Highway by Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, a First Nation north of Lake Superior.
Attawapiskat and Neskantaga First Nations have set up an encampment near a proposed bridge to the Ring of Fire. And several Grassy Narrows First Nation members have set up an encampment in the park next to the Ontario legislature in downtown Toronto.
Ontario and Alberta have signed the memorandum with the objective to "advance the safe transportation, domestic access and use, and international export of oil and gas and domestically-processed critical minerals by building a long-term collaborative relationship between the parties," the document said.
The two provinces have agreed to collaborate in several areas, including the "development of rail infrastructure to support the subsequent phases of the Ring of Fire, including all critical mineral mining projects and the infrastructure needed to support them, as well as processing and refining capacity needed for an end-to-end Canadian critical minerals supply chain, including access to western Canadian ports."
Ontario is also looking for support from the federal government to build a deep sea port in James Bay to get its critical minerals and Alberta's oil and gas to Atlantic Canada and overseas.
Ontario New Democrat mining critic Jamie West said Ford is "putting the cart before the horse" and must repeal the new law.
"Thanks to his power grab with Bill 5, the future of this entire project, jobs, and northern development is up in the air," he said in a statement.
"Instead of taking the right steps to strengthen Ontario, the premier focused on running roughshod over First Nations and treaty rights, sowing more division in our province, and launching us into a summer of chaos and uncertainty."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2025.
Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
20 minutes ago
- Forbes
Can You Share Meals Over Zoom? One Startup Thinks So
At the height of the pandemic, Vishal Patel noticed a shift in his workday. Meetings hadn't stopped— they'd multiplied. But the shared meals, coffee breaks, and casual conversations that once brought people together had quietly disappeared. 'People were still meeting,' he said. 'But they weren't connecting.' With a background in tech, communications and a lifelong interest in logistics, Patel saw an opportunity: what if the social glue of shared meals could be brought back—virtually? That insight sparked the creation of GreetEat (OTC: GEAT), a startup he now leads as chief executive. The platform, which quietly rolled out across the U.S. and Canada after a beta launch, lets users attach meal vouchers to virtual meetings, delivered through Uber Eats. Attendees receive a credit before a video call, order their food from a local restaurant, and log in to join a meeting where everyone is sharing a meal— together, apart. 'Our biggest advantage? Billing goes straight to the HR department. The employee doesn't need to worry about receipts or reimbursements— it's all taken care of,' says Patel. It's not just a feel-good idea. As Patel sees it, it's a fix for one of remote work's most persistent flaws. 'People are working longer hours and attending more meetings, but they're more isolated than ever,' he said. 'Food has always been a cultural equalizer. We're just making it logistically possible again.' GreetEat allows users to attach Uber Eats meal vouchers to virtual meetings, giving attendees a ... More credit to order food from a local restaurant before the call. Remote Workers can now share meals From catered team brainstorms to donuts in the break room, meals are an unspoken but impactful part of on-site corporate culture. But in the era of hybrid and fully remote work, that has all but disappeared. What's replaced it— scheduled video calls— often feel sterile. 'It's significantly more difficult to establish trust in virtual environments,' write Mark Mortensen and Heidi K. Gardner in Harvard Business Review. 'The transition to remote work has resulted in a critical gap: virtual meetings lack the human touch that shared meals bring," says Patel. "Our vision is to merge technology and hospitality to recreate the joy of dining together, no matter the distance.' Patel is betting that food can help close the social gap in remote work— and he's not alone. ChefPassport and KraftyLab launched in 2018 and 2017, respectively, offering virtual cooking classes and food-based team events. And other companies have experimented with meal stipends and virtual happy hours to rebuild cohesion. But these efforts are typically piecemeal, lacking a streamlined way to host meetings and integrate food. Most fall apart under logistical challenges: coordinating orders, managing reimbursements, dealing with receipts. GreetEat tries to solve that with a single interface. The platform integrates video conferencing with on-demand food delivery, allowing hosts to attach meal vouchers to virtual meetings. Participants order from local restaurants, and Uber Eats handles real-time delivery through its global network. The entire process— from scheduling to tracking and reconciliation— is managed seamlessly within one system. 'This is a transformational leap forward for remote engagement,' says Patel. 'By joining forces with Uber Eats, we've eliminated borders, bottlenecks, and logistical friction. Now, companies can create rich, shared experiences that foster connection, culture, and community at scale.' For now, the platform operates on a subscription model for businesses, with GreetEat earning a fee per transaction through its Uber Eats integration. Additional partnerships with DoorDash, Grubhub, and other services are in the pipeline, as are integrations with HR platforms like Workday and SAP, and gaming platforms such as Steam, PlayStation and Xbox. More than just meals GreetEat targets office workers— the millions now tethered to screens. According to 2025 data from Gallup, 80% of remote-capable employees work fully or partially from home. Zoom alone hosts 350 million daily participants and logs over 3.3 trillion meeting minutes annually. More than half of fully remote leaders spend at least three hours a day in virtual meetings. That's alot of missed, hurried and isolated meals. And GreetEat's potential extends well beyond the typical team lunch. A tech company might use it for virtual onboarding, allowing new hires to select a meal before joining their first team meeting. A design agency could incorporate it into client pitch sessions, creating a more engaging and hospitable experience. An e-sports organization could adapt the platform to reward players with food deliveries after hitting key milestones during marathon tournaments. 'Remote work didn't eliminate food,' Patel said. 'It just eliminated the context where we used to share it.' Shared meals and remote work culture Vishal Patel, Founder and CEO of GreetEat In a world where companies offer allowances for everything from mental health apps to standing desks, Patel thinks food deserves the same status— not as a perk, but as a core driver of productivity. 'There's a budget line for productivity tools, another for wellness,' he said. 'Food cuts across both. It makes people show up.' And he might just be right. A recent ezCater report found that 53% of employees feel more productive when their employer provides free food, and 42% say it also improves the quality of their work. The impact goes beyond convenience— nearly a third of workers don't take time away from their desks to eat, a habit that can contribute to burnout and reduced performance. Whether companies agree remains to be seen. GreetEat is still early-stage. What's clear is that GreetEat is attempting to formalize a part of work culture that had, until now, gone largely unaddressed. And according to Patel, early adopters are seeing strong results: meetings with GreetEat vouchers show attendance increases of up to 60%, along with higher engagement and satisfaction. Companies also report reduced HR burdens tied to expense tracking and reimbursements. As a bonus, integrated virtual dining is proving to be a valuable recruitment and retention tool— especially among younger, remote-first workers who prioritize flexibility and lifestyle benefits. At its core is a simple proposition: that people still want to eat together, even when they're apart— and that shared meals, however digitally reconstructed, still matter. 'We didn't invent anything new,' Patel said. 'We just tried to remove the friction from something very old.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dividends Declared During the Week of July 7
Energy companies are gearing up for second-quarter 2025 earnings season. Here is a compilation of dividends declared during the week of July 7 from select midstream and service and supply companies. Targa Resources Targa Resources Corp. declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1 per common share, $4 per share annualized, for the second quarter of 2025. The cash dividend will be paid Aug. 15 on all outstanding common shares to holders of record as of the close of business on July 31. Pembina Pipeline Pembina Pipeline Corp. declared quarterly dividends for a series of preferred shares—Series 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 15, 17, 21 and 25. Series 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 21 preferred share dividends are payable on Sept. 2 to shareholders of record on Aug. 1. Series 15 and 17 are payable on Oct. 1 to shareholders of record on Sept. 15. Series 25 preferred share dividends are payable on Aug. 15 to shareholders of record on July 31. NW Natural Energy infrastructure company Northwest Natural Holding Co. declared a quarterly dividend of $0.49 per share on July 10. The dividend will be paid on Aug. 15 to shareholders of record on July 31. NW Natural said its annual dividend rate is $1.96 per share. Phillips 66 Phillips 66 declared a quarterly dividend on July 10 for $1.20 per share on its common stock. The dividend is payable on Sept. 2 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 19. Emera North American energy services provider Emera Inc. declared quarterly dividends on July 11 on its common shares and first preferred shares. The common share dividend will be paid out as approximately $0.73 per share. The preferred share dividends will be paid out as follows: $0.1364 per Series A first preferred share; $0.2789 per Series B first preferred share; $0.40213 per Series C first preferred share; $0.28125 per Series E first preferred share; $0.35931 per Series F first preferred share; $0.39525 per Series H first preferred share; $0.265625 per Series J first preferred share; and $0.2875 per Series L first preferred share. The dividends are payable on and after Aug. 15 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 1.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wayfair, Sabre, MongoDB, ServiceNow, and Asana Shares Are Falling, What You Need To Know
A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after the Trump administration announced intentions to impose a 35% tariff on many goods imported from Canada. This move is far more than a typical trade dispute; it targets the United States' largest and most deeply integrated trading partner. Canada is not merely a neighbor but a critical component of North American supply chains, particularly in sectors like automotive, energy, and critical minerals. This move has sparked concerns about potential retaliatory actions and a wider impact on the North American economy, leading to a risk-off sentiment among investors. The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq all opened lower, pulling back from recent record highs and heading for their first weekly loss in three weeks. The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks. Among others, the following stocks were impacted: Online Retail company Wayfair (NYSE:W) fell 3.3%. Is now the time to buy Wayfair? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. Travel and Vacation Providers company Sabre (NASDAQ:SABR) fell 4.1%. Is now the time to buy Sabre? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. Data Storage company MongoDB (NASDAQ:MDB) fell 3%. Is now the time to buy MongoDB? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. Automation Software company ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW) fell 3.2%. Is now the time to buy ServiceNow? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. Project Management Software company Asana (NYSE:ASAN) fell 3.5%. Is now the time to buy Asana? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. Sabre's shares are extremely volatile and have had 35 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today's move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business. Sabre is down 11.5% since the beginning of the year, and at $3.16 per share, it is trading 30.1% below its 52-week high of $4.52 from February 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Sabre's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $408.80. Unless you've been living under a rock, it should be obvious by now that generative AI is going to have a huge impact on how large corporations do business. While Nvidia and AMD are trading close to all-time highs, we prefer a lesser-known (but still profitable) semiconductor stock benefiting from the rise of AI. Click here to access our free report on our favorite semiconductor growth story. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
