Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney have signed an agreement to streamline environmental assessment work on major projects, most notably a road to the Ring of Fire.
The agreement signed on Thursday will see the federal government defer to Ontario’s assessment process on key infrastructure plans, an approach which politicians have been pushing as “one project, one assessment.”
“I want to thank Prime Minister Carney for his leadership in speeding up major projects that will create good-paying jobs, build a more competitive and self-reliant economy and help us unlock the enormous economic opportunity of the Ring of Fire,” Ford said in a statement.
For years, Ontario has been pushing to build an all-season road to the Ring of Fire, a mineral-rich area in northern Ontario. It’s a project the federal government has theoretically been aligned with but remained dormant for years.
Following February’s snap election and a focus on shoring up the domestic economy, the province has pivoted to put major focus on the project, reaching agreements with First Nation communities to offer new funding in exchange for fast-tracking assessments.
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The agreement signed Thursday between Ottawa and Queen’s Park will see the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada agree to complete its review of the road to the Ring of Fire no later than June, 2026.
The agreement is particularly important because of the powers the federal government has to frustrate major infrastructure projects in Ontario through additional assessments and studies.
Back in 2021, the feds paused work on Highway 413 — set to run from Milton to Vaughan —for additional assessments over endangered species along the route. Three years later, the two governments reached an agreement to allow the project to, once again, move forward.
Since winning the election earlier this year, Carney has signalled he will take a new approach to federal assessments and involvement in provincial decisions.
“Our agreement with Ontario will build major projects faster, helping to diversify our trade partners, strengthen our industries and empower more Canadians with high-paying careers,” he said in a statement.
“We are building Canada Strong, and we’re building bigger and faster together.”
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