Premiers tout progress on interprovincial trade
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt adds 'we have made more progress that's been made in a long time' thanks in part to a cooperative federal government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Quebec Premier François Legault adds that Bill 112, his government's legislation mandating free trade with other provinces, should pass this fall.
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Hamilton Spectator
16 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Why Doug Ford's controversial law to fast-track development is focused on the Ring of Fire
The story In the beginning, when it was still called Kawana 'bi 'kag, no one imagined that the 5,000 square kilometres near James Bay might one day save Canada from economic warfare launched by an American president named Donald Trump. There's nothing like an existential crisis, it seems, to focus a country's attention on unearthing billions of dollars worth of critical minerals. Amid First Nations protests and legal challenges, Premier Doug Ford passed Bill 5, creating sweeping new powers to fast-track development and in the north, that means brushing past years of delay on the land now known as the Ring of Fire. It holds what the world craves: nickel, chromite (for chromium), cobalt and more, all needed for global security or green energy. And all often in short supply, threatening economic devastation from supply chain disruption. Ford wants jobs for Ontarians. Prime Minister Mark Carney needs economic prosperity independent of America and its mercurial president. Now, nearly 20 years after the minerals were first discovered, the Ring of Fire may be entering its prime time. Although, as First Nations leaders recently observed, Trump will be out of office long before the mining roads are built, so why the 'unconstitutional' rush? Here is an explainer on the remote north, a place of conundrums. The earth You may ask, what makes these minerals critical? In short, the digital and green economies of the future — including massive new infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence — will not exist without them. 'There is no energy transition without critical minerals: no batteries, no electric cars, no wind turbines and no solar panels,' a federal minerals strategy once said. Depending on market fluctuations, minerals hold immense value. The Democratic Republic of Congo provides 70 per cent of the world's cobalt. Indonesia supplies 40 per cent of nickel. And China is the largest processor of minerals, a dominance that has, on occasion, led to disruptive trade practices and price swings, according to a recent Public Policy Forum report. Deposits locked under the Ring of Fire include: Nickel: It is used in the production of stainless steel and is increasingly valued in advanced technologies, particularly in batteries for electric vehicles. Cobalt: Considered essential for the production of military equipment, it is used to produce superalloys used to make jet engines, missiles and submarines. Copper: Used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar power panels, and battery energy storage systems, it is also considered essential for the creation of data centres that will support artificial intelligence. Chromite: This is the ore from which chromium is extracted. Chromium is essential to the manufacture of stainless steel. Platinum: A metal that plays a vital role in autocatalysts, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle tailpipes. Palladium: A 'platinum group element,' it is used in electronics and in vehicle emission reductions. The timeline As modern mining lore has it, speculators in the Hudson Bay lowlands discovered its chromite in 2007. Depending on the loquaciousness of the storyteller, one or several prospectors were Johnny Cash fans and so inspired, quickly named the lands around their discovery the Ring of Fire, launching years of environmental assessments, ownership changes and new mining claims. The Ring of Fire was included in Ontario's 2010 speech from the throne and in the ensuing years, premiers Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne raved over its potential, although Sudbury already mines critical minerals. And in 2018, along came Doug Ford. Running for the premier's job, he promised to build roads to the untouched minerals, which were in a distant region of the province accessible only by airplanes or (melting) ice highways. 'If I have to hop on a bulldozer myself, we're going to start building roads to the Ring of Fire,' Ford tweeted. This did not impress the First Nations who make Kawana 'bi 'kag their home. Today, seven years and two elections later, with no roads built, Trump's antics inspired new laws rushed through the Ontario legislature and the House of Commons: Ford's Bill 5, the 'Protect Ontario by Unleashing the Economy Act' and Carney's Bill C-5, the 'One Canadian Economy Act.' Before Carney met with First Nations leaders on July 17, he promised 'Indigenous equity and full participation' in Canada's new economy. When the meeting ended, the chiefs' were not convinced. The constitutionality of both laws faces a legal challenge by nine First Nations chiefs, who called Ontario's law a massive overreach that gives the government unlimited development powers across the province. As one said, Ontarians should be worried. The request for an injunction, the chiefs' lawyer said, will likely be heard within a year. The miners In the world of prospecting, ownership is known to change hands. Australia-based Wyloo acquired Noront in 2022 and with it, the Ring of Fire's 'Eagle's Nest' project. While Juno Corp. appears to have the most mining claims in the region, Wyloo says its development progress is the most advanced, in terms of passing government hurdles. Wyloo's footprint, its corporate documents say, will cover just one square kilometre. Instead of an open pit, Eagle's Nest will be vertical, plunging 1,600 metres into the ground, with below-surface space to store tailings, the leftover materials. The company's current projections say it will annually produce 15,000 tonnes of nickel, 6,000 tonnes of copper, 70,000 ounces of palladium, 22,000 ounces of platinum and 340 tonnes of cobalt. And as for the fragile peatlands across the region? Wyloo's mine, its document says, will mainly be built on 'uplands' and not the low-lying peatlands. But there is a different threat: road construction. The ecosystem The Ring of Fire is rich with watery peatlands, a fragile, living entity of decaying plant matter that traps carbon equal to many decades of greenhouse gas emissions. And yet the earth here also holds minerals needed to build the energy-saving solar panels and electric cars of the future. This is an environmental predicament. If new mining roads disturb the peatlands by as little as three per cent, Wildlands League's Anna Baggio says data shows that the equivalent of 62 million tonnes of carbon dioxide would be released. Climate change is already threatening peatlands, from nearby wildfires to melting permafrost. So it was not surprising to see 'peatland' cited 113 times in a 2025 draft environmental assessment for a proposal by Marten Falls First Nations to build and maintain an all-season access road. Marten Falls chief says the road would connect the remote community to health supports and economic opportunities. A separate proposal would link a series of new roads to the Ring of Fire mines. Last week, Marten Falls First Nation said it held a joint ceremony with Webequie First Nation, (which is has filed a proposal to build another road) and together, took down a ceremonial teepee erected last year. It symbolized, the Marten Falls news release said, the 'joint and mutually respectful process required between the First Nations and development proponents.' First Nation communities on the Treaty 9 land have expressed concern about environmental risk, noting the age-old relationship between peatlands, water systems and wildlife. But much like Marten Falls, many also say they want development — and a seat at the decision-makers' table. Ford's Bill 5, some say, killed the opportunity for government discussions, forcing protests or legal action. Eabametoong Chief Solomon Atlookan leads one of many First Nations communities in the region. In June, Atlookan wrote a letter to Ford and Carney, warning their new laws could leave governments tied up in court challenges or worse, create dangerous confrontations on the land. 'Cranking up the legislative bulldozer,' Atlookan wrote, 'will not yield positive outcomes.'
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Proposed Wasaga Beach sale could set 'awful precedent,' environmentalists say
The Ontario government's plan to hand parts of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park over to the local town for tourism development could set an "awful precedent" for other provincially owned parks, environmental advocates say. Premier Doug Ford announced in May that his government would give $38 million to Wasaga Beach to help revitalize the town's tourism scene and support future housing. Part of the proposed plan includes selling the town Beach Area 1, Beach Area 2, New Wasaga Beach and Allenwood Beach. The amount of land being transferred is nearly 60 hectares, a spokesperson for the town said in an email to CBC Toronto. In late June, the province posted a proposal to amend both the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act (PPCRA) and the Historical Parks Act to support the land transfer. The proposed changes are cause for concern, said Laura Bowman, a lawyer with the environmental law charity Ecojustice. Although the language of the proposed amendments isn't yet public, Bowman said there's already a legislative approval process in place within the PPCRA to dispose of lands greater than 50 hectares, or one per cent of the total park or conservation area in question. So, the desire to change the law suggests there's a desire to dispose of other areas in the future, she said — and to do so in a way that bypasses a legislative vote and avoids scrutiny. "This government has a history of trying to dispose of park lands and public lands," Bowman told CBC Toronto. "I don't find it plausible, frankly, that this is a one-off thing," Bowman said. "This is possibly setting a further precedent in that direction, and the developments are getting bigger and bigger." A spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment denied that the Wasaga Beach changes are more than a one-off. "No other changes are being considered beyond those included in the [Environmental Registry of Ontario]," Alexandru Cioban said in an email to CBC Toronto. Tourism push within ecologically sensitive area The vision for Wasaga Beach is one of the province's latest and largest waterfront tourism redevelopment projects in Ontario. Transferring parts of the provincial park to the town would be especially positive for local residents and businesses, said Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith. "Our vision is and always has been to become a year-round destination here in Wasaga Beach that celebrates the longest freshwater beach in the world, but also the entire ecosystem here," he told CBC Toronto. From an ecological perspective, changes to the beach and the way it's maintained now could have devastating consequences, said Tim Gray, executive director of Environmental Defence. Wasaga Beach is home to the piping plover, a federally and provincially recognized endangered species, Gray said, and the beach dunes across the park play an important role in the region's river system and as a buffer for flooding. "Once these areas are removed from the park, those protections will no longer be in place," Gray said. "We'll set an awful, awful precedent if it's allowed to go ahead." Smith said his "guarantee" is that the town will act as stewards for the environment during the redevelopment process. But Bowman said she isn't confident that it can be done without the "Herculean efforts" provincial conservation scientists made to protect the plovers and their habitat. Even raking the beach and keeping it manicured will prevent the endangered bird from eating, nesting, and successfully hiding from prey, she said. "It really does potentially put the survival of that species in jeopardy," Bowman said. "These are important pieces of land for conservation and biodiversity and important recreation areas for the people of Ontario." Bill 5 sparked environmental concerns All of the environmentalists CBC Toronto spoke to for this story drew a connection between these plans and the government's recently passed Bill 5. The law, which passed in June, removed provincial protections for certain aquatic species and migratory birds — ones that are also protected under the federal Species at Risk Act — and made it easier for the government to exempt companies or projects from complying with provincial laws or regulations. Bill 5, on top of other controversial development flashpoints, such as the sale of Ontario Place and the Greenbelt scandal, has led to a deterioration of trust in the province's willingness to put the environment ahead of investment opportunities, according to Jan Sumner, executive director of Wildlands League, who worked with her organization and Sierra Legal Defence Fund (now Ecojustice) on the current PPCRA. "This is just another example of the Ford government feeling like they can step over the people of Ontario and hand out public land to private developers," Sumner said. The Ministry of Environment spokesperson said via email that the government's support of Destination Wasaga will help "preserve local heritage, create jobs, boost tourism, and drive long-term economic growth across the region." Cioban said changes to the PPRCA would specifically relate to Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, but he declined to provide specific language or details about when proposed PPRCA amendments would be made publicly available.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
Drivers vs. cyclists: a battle for the streets in Canada's largest city
Then came the backlash. Some of the most popular bike lanes were making Toronto's notorious traffic worse, according to the provincial government. So, Doug Ford, premier of Toronto's province, Ontario, signed a law to rip out 14 miles of the lanes from three major streets that serve the core of the city. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow arrived for her first day in office two years ago riding a bike. She was not pleased with the law, arguing that the city had sole discretion to decide street rules. Chow did not respond to a request to comment. But in public remarks, she has since softened her tone, suggesting it was possible to have a 'win-win solution' by relocating some bike lanes or keeping them in place while adding more driving lanes. Advertisement 'We could design them better,' Chow told reporters in April. Bike lanes are a sore point for many drivers frustrated by the constant traffic jams in the heart of Toronto. 'There's so much traffic because of bike lanes,' said Nasser Moradman, who has driven a taxi in Toronto for 30 years. The lanes aren't even used much during the long winter, he complained, adding: 'It's miserable. It's very tough to drive in the city.' Advertisement Cycling proponents and others who vehemently oppose Ford's move mounted a legal challenge, and a provincial court has temporarily barred the removal of any bike lanes until a judge decides if the new law is unconstitutional. Cities across the world, including New York and Paris, have added miles of bike lanes to make streets safer for cyclists and encourage drivers to abandon their vehicles and opt for more climate-friendly modes of travel, such as cycling and public transportation. In some places, the lanes have also set off criticism from drivers and others who say that they have made life worse for people who have to drive, including delivery workers and taxi drivers. President Trump called New York's bike lanes dangerous and claimed that cyclists were 'whacking people.' In Canada, government data show that about an average of 2 million people commute to Toronto by car on workdays. And those commuters contribute to the city's congestion, which ranks second behind Vancouver among Canadian cities, according to TomTom, a global traffic index. Toronto's chronic traffic snarls can come as an unwelcome surprise to some visitors. In February, the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team had to abandon a ride because of traffic and walk the remaining blocks to a downtown arena -- not the first time that professional athletes have had to do that. The problems have cost the Toronto region about about $33 billion in lost productivity per year, according to a report by the Canadian Center for Economic Analysis. 'Congestion has reached crisis levels,' said Giles Gherson, president of the Toronto Board of Trade, which suggested in a report that Toronto 'rebalance' its roads by cutting back street-level parking and moving bike lanes. Advertisement Many commuters also argue that driving into Toronto from the suburbs is often faster than using public transportation, with experts saying that the city lacks enough rapid transit to meet its needs. The provincial government has been criticized for long delays to transit projects. The province says only 1.2 percent of workers commute by bike. For comparison, even in New York City, which has a large system of bike lanes, about 1.4 percent of people commute by bike, according to city figures. The conflict in Toronto has resonated with people such as Sharon Danley, a retiree. She recently joined a citizens group opposing a bike lane on her street, which she said was disruptive and unfair. The lane, she said, slows down a transit bus for people with disabilities. 'Now what we're doing is clogging up lean arteries and causing a lot of harm,' Danley said. In Toronto, where the car has long been king, cyclists have been gaining ground. Toronto added 67 miles of bike lanes between 2020 and 2024 and now has 207 miles of them. The city's bike-share service had 6.9 million rides in 2024, up from 2.9 million in 2020. 'Cycling has become more pleasant,' said Chad Mohr, a food-bank volunteer who delivers groceries by bike. 'Now they're talking about ripping tons of that infrastructure out, which would be a tragedy and just a giant, ridiculous, expensive step backward.' The city spent about $20 million to install the bike lanes that Ontario now wants to eliminate. In a report, it estimates that removing them would cost $35 million. Advertisement Last year, Toronto said a half-dozen cyclists were killed in the city, the highest number in two decades. Between 2016 and 2023, 260 cyclists have been seriously injured, with most crashes on streets with no bike lanes. Removing bike lanes would 'cost people their lives,' said Geoffrey Bercarich, a bike-repair technician who installs memorials called ghost bikes in places where cyclists have been killed. Ford has made it clear that he is not opposed to cyclists or cycling. 'I'm not against bike lanes,' he told reporters in May. 'Build all the bike lanes you want, just not on main arterial roads.'' Cycling proponents argue that the province has not shown any evidence that removing bike lanes will ease traffic. 'This idea that they're somehow the cause of Toronto's traffic woes isn't based on any fact,' said Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, an advocacy group. He was speaking by phone from a hospital, where he was recovering from a fractured leg that he said he sustained while cycling when a driver opened a door into a bike lane. The Ontario government has passed a measure that would protect it from lawsuits by cyclists injured on roads where the province tears out bike lanes. Cycling supporters say the move amounts to a tacit acknowledgment that riders will be hurt if the province is allowed to eliminate bike lanes, said David Shellnutt, a personal-injury lawyer in Toronto specializing in cycling cases. 'It is an admission that, yes, we know that what we're proposing here will result in injury and death,' Shellnutt said, 'and so we're going to insulate ourselves from accountability.' This article originally appeared in Advertisement
