Doug Ford promises to speed up mining and resource development (Ford came to Thunder Bay on Saturday)

Thunder Bay - Expanding a provincial financing program to provide loan guarantees for Indigenous-owned resource projects, investing millions to train Indigenous workers, and planning to designate the province's mineral-rich regions as areas of "strategic importance" are among the promises made by Conservative leader Doug Ford during his time in Thunder Bay.

Ford was in Thunder Bay on Saturday to campaign at the local office of the Laborers' International Union of North America. He was joined on the campaign trail by Conservative candidates for the two Thunder Bay-area ridings - Kevin Holland in Thunder Bay-Atikokan and Rick Dumas in Thunder Bay-Superior North.

One of Ford's campaign promises is a commitment to launch a new "Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program" that would triple the existing $1 billion provincial program, the "Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program." That program provides provincial guarantees for loans used by Indigenous-owned entities for energy projects.

Ford said his changes would expand eligible projects to include resource extraction and development projects.

Ford said it would provide "generational economic opportunities for Indigenous communities in Ontario."

When asked whether he would ensure such natural resource-based projects are primarily owned by Ontario interests, Ford said: "Getting investment right here is always the most ideal. Indigenous communities will always be involved, no matter who invests."

"I want money from other countries. I want to bring their money into Ontario."

Ford focused on mineral deposits in northern Ontario, particularly the Ring of Fire, and "how critical minerals in northern Ontario can change the global landscape."

Ford also promised to expand the $70 million fund for consulting with Indigenous communities and use it to train Indigenous workers in the resource extraction sector, and pledged more scholarships for Indigenous students pursuing careers in resource development.

Additionally, he said the government would "designate areas where there are or could be multiple critical mineral deposits as" areas of strategic importance.

Ford said this move "will significantly speed up approvals and allow pre-approved project proponents that meet high operational safety and environmental standards to build," adding that "once they have fulfilled their consultation obligations, they will automatically receive approval to proceed with preliminary work."

To speed up project approvals, Ford also said he would urge the federal government to scrap the impact assessment process, calling it redundant and "wrong."

When asked what the Conservatives would do to improve highway safety, Ford deferred to Holland, saying the issue is largely due to drivers from outside Ontario holding licenses.

Holland said: "We are looking at how to address this and ensure that people entering Ontario with licenses from other jurisdictions understand what they will see and experience here."

Earlier this week, neither Holland nor Dumas attended the all-candidates forum. When asked why his candidates did not attend, Ford pivoted to talking about his own campaign.

Ford's Saturday itinerary also included a stop at the Alstom plant in Thunder Bay before leaving the city to campaign in Iroquois Falls and Timmins.

Source:  https://www.tbnewswatch.com/ontario-election/doug-ford-pledges-to-fast-track-mining-and-resource-development-10272228