Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli says there’s no specific mention of the Ring of Fire in last week’s federal budget. And Fedeli adds this must be disappointing for Premier Kathleen Wynne. Fedeli says during the federal election campaign, Wynne kept saying as Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau would partner with Ontario to develop the site. He says the lack of content in the budget specifically addressing the Ring of Fire is an indication there is no future partnership.
The Tory finance critic says when the federal Conservatives were in power, Wynne constantly blamed them for not moving the project forward. He says the provincial Liberals have stalled the Ring of Fire for eight years and they’re running out of excuses on who to blame. Meanwhile, the federal budget may not specifically mention the Ring of Fire, but a Northern Ontario federal Liberal MP says it will happen.
Paul Lefebvre, who represents Sudbury, says the feds will advance the chromite discovery by supplying education money and infrastructure to First Nations. Lefebvre admits the budget doesn’t mention specific projects, like the Ring of Fire but says the federal Liberals will spend billions of dollars on these kind of projects. He says some First Nations getting federal help are near the Ring of Fire.