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Most Ontarians have heard of the Ring of Fire, but few have ever been there. This is probably because the Ring of Fire is more than 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay – and there are no railways or all-season roads that go to the region. This remote, crescent-shaped area has significant mineral deposits of chromite, nickel, copper, zinc, gold and other minerals that are estimated to be worth $60 billion. Over 20 companies have mining claims in the region, covering more than 2,000 square kilometres. This massive development potential and economic opportunity has made the Ring of Fire the most pressing planning issue in the Far North.

The Ring of Fire is just a small part of Ontario’s Far North region, which makes up 42 per cent of the province. The Far North is one of the world’s largest intact ecosystems, an area of international ecological significance and a stronghold for biodiversity, including at-risk species like woodland caribou, wolverine and polar bear. Its peatlands are important carbon stores, and its forests are part of the largest block of boreal forest still free from large-scale human disturbance. The Far North also holds the traditional territories of 38 First Nations communities. In 2007, the ECO highlighted the need for a strong, ecologically sound, landscape-level planning system for the Far North.

This October marks the fourth anniversary of the Far North Act, 2010. This Act was designed as the foundation for land use planning across the Far North and sets out a joint process between First Nations and the Ontario government. One of the Act’s key objectives is “the maintenance of biological diversity, ecological processes and ecological functions, including the storage and sequestration of carbon in the Far North.” In 2011, the ECO commended the government for working with First Nations to plan the orderly development and protection of northern Ontario; however, we also warned that government needed to gather important ecological information and collaborate with First Nations for the planning process to succeed.

So far, planning progress has not kept pace with the push for development. For example, the Far North Act, 2010 requires a community-based land use plan to be in place before a mine can be opened in a given area. However, many of these land use plans are years away from completion. This means that projects already in the approval process will likely be opened under an exemption order made by Cabinet – effectively circumventing the planning process under the Act. Other recent issues in the Ring of Fire include the use of mining claims to establish transportation corridors and the illegal construction of mining-related projects.

There is serious concern about the potential environmental effects of development in the Ring of Fire, including habitat fragmentation, water and soil pollution, and wildlife disturbance. The Ontario government is currently taking a piecemeal approach to assessing and approving individual projects in the region – rather than taking a more strategic regional approach that accounts for potential cumulative effects. In 2013, the ECO recommended that the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines make a statutory commitment to long-term environmental monitoring for the Far North, including the Ring of Fire. We also recommended that these ministries establish a strategic environmental review and permitting process for the Ring of Fire.

This past March, the Ontario government signed a regional framework agreement with Matawa-member First Nations to develop the Ring of Fire. The Ontario government also recently committed up to $1 billion for infrastructure development, and in August, established the Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation. The development corporation is intended to bring different stakeholders together and to facilitate investment decisions for transportation infrastructure.

The Ontario government has made it clear that expediting development in the Ring of Fire is one its top priorities. Unfortunately, there is no indication that any efforts are underway to address the pressing environmental issues that must be dealt with to responsibly allow this development to proceed – and to ensure that it does not occur at the expense of the Far North’s globally significant ecosystem or its many First Nation communities.