Minister on Ring of Fire: It's 'complex'

Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle

From the minister

The following statement was provided by Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle in response to questions about the hiring of Deloitte and Hatch Mott MacDonald Ltd. as consultants for the Ring of Fire.

"Realizing the full potential of the Ring of Fire is an extremely complex undertaking so we have to make sure that we get it right. This means making important investments in people, infrastructure, and building the right business climate for successful development.

"Our government is working hard to lay the important groundwork to drive smart, sustainable and collaborative development in the region.

"To help make progress, our government structured the Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation (ROFIDC) to bring together divergent interests including key mining companies, first nations and the provincial and federal government.

"In February 2014 Deloitte was hired to work with mining companies, first nations and the provincial and federal governments on the governance structure of the ROFIDC. During this time, Deloitte worked with the ROFIDC and its partners to determine the terms of reference for a technical review of infrastructure options in the Ring of Fire.

"The procurement for this work occurred in late 2015 and engineering firm Hatch Mott MacDonald Ltd. was the successful candidate in that procurement. The study is currently underway and is in its early stages.

"Once completed, this review will provide a common basis of technical information for key partners as discussions regarding industrial infrastructure development continue to advance."