Report calls on government to step up its critical mineral strategy

Ontario Chamber of Commerce urges governments to improve critical minerals strategy, warning that investor risk & infrastructure gaps hinder global leadership.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is urging the provincial and federal governments to improve their critical minerals strategies.

“We stack up very well in Ontario in terms of our potential, but potential is not performance,” said Daniel Tisch, the chamber’s president and CEO.

The chamber’s new report, ‘Mining 2030: Unearthing Ontario’s Potential’, highlights that increased political interest in the sector has not yet translated into the performance required to lead globally.

“(The report) shows that while Ontario’s got strong leadership and world-class geology and wonderful mining companies that have built great businesses here that are benefiting workers and communities, investors still face too much risk,” said Tisch.

The report was created by the chamber’s new Mining Policy Council and included input from northern Ontario representatives.

Marla Tremblay, MineConnect’s executive director, is co-chair of the council.

“We would like government to look at (the report) and say, ‘okay, we are open to doing this,’” said Tremblay.

“‘Let’s make those tweaks because industry is telling us the difference it will make in speeding things up or in assisting the industry moving forward.’”

On the supply side, she said worker recruitment and retention is also a concern.

“Some of the conversations we’ve had is around specifically (the) labour market, but the bigger picture,” said Tremblay.

“So housing, health care, access to services, everything from recreation to community to, you know, it’s great. We get people up (here). How do we keep them?” she asked.

“How do we have them understand or see the opportunity to have a family and to build their family and to be part of community? … That’s a big piece.”

The president and CEO of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, Marie Litalien, told CTV News that there are a number of hurdles faced by local companies.

“There are some different challenges in northern Ontario related to infrastructure, you know, roads and also access to talent. We’re a little bit more remote, so it’s harder to recruit. And energy, of course,” said Litalien.

“Those are all really, clear, gaps and challenges that our mining and mining supply and services companies are going through.”

Litalien said that she feels optimistic, given all the recent mining investments in the north.

“You can already see how the North’s benefiting from, some of those changes. We have the recent Vale-Glencore partnership agreement that was announced,” she said.

“Frontier Lithium being named, the first project under the province’s new One Project, One Process framework.”

The recommendations of the report include strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities through a clearer consultation process and financial support; streamlining regulatory processes by implementing a “one project, one process” approach with fixed timelines and a centralized digital platform; reducing investment risk via new tax credits and risk-sharing tools; improving energy access and affordability in northern Ontario; and developing a comprehensive long-term strategy for infrastructure, workforce and social services in the North. The plan was inspired by Quebec’s Plan Nord.

Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, welcomed the report.

“The Ontario chamber validates our plan to build mines faster and to really lead the world when it comes to responsible resource development,” said Lecce.

“As the chamber report notes, we have initiated a 50% reduction in permit timelines. This is a huge achievement for the North, for workers, for families and for ethical resources.”

Lecce said his government will continue to work with the chamber, but he did not commit to adopting any of the new recommendations put forward in the report.

CTV News also reached out to the Minister of Natural Resources for comment but has not yet received a response.

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