By Angela Gemmill

The Minister of Northern Development and Mines is reassuring Northern Ontario that the province is still committed to developing the Ring of Fire despite recent threats by Cliffs Natural Resources to pull out of the project.

Michael Gravelle says the government continues to move forward including creating a Ring of Fire Secretariat to ensure work on the various elements progresses, including infrastructure needs like an access road.

He says this is a complex issue with multi-faceted aspects that each need to be worked out properly before the project can realize its full potential.

He reminds critics the project involves major resource development in a part of the province that’s never seen that before.

Gravelle says the discussions with those First Nations affected by the project are progressing positively.

He says due to the huge potential of the development the government wants to ensure all elements are worked out properly beforehand.