http://globalnews.ca/news/3684318/ring-of-fire-ontario-roads/

Ontario to move ahead with building road access into Ring of Fire region

A snowmobile rides down the main street December 18, 2012, on the Fort Hope First Nation, Ont. A major U.S. player in northern Ontario's Ring of Fire says it's indefinitely suspending its chromite project in the mineral-rich area.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

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THUNDER BAY, Ont. – Premier Kathleen Wynne says Ontario is moving ahead with building roads into the Ring of Fire region.

The provincial government has been talking with the chiefs of the Matawa First Nations for years, since it pledged $1 billion in 2014 to fund infrastructure into the chromite-rich area.

READ MORE: Ontario Premier warns First Nations about delays in Ring of Fire talks

The premier’s announcement today in Thunder Bay, Ont., comes three months after she told nine First Nations in the region she wanted to see progress in weeks, not months, on discussions about the roads or she would move to bilateral talks with individual communities.

Wynne announced that Ontario will work with three of those nine First Nations – Webequie, Marten Falls and Nibinamik – to build year-round road access into a proposed mining development site being pursued by Noront Resources Ltd.

READ MORE: Can Justin Trudeau help kick start Ring of Fire development?

An east-west road connecting the Webequie and Nibinamik communities to the provincial highway network will be planned and built, providing all-season access to the communities and the Ring of Fire, as well as a road connecting Marten Falls First Nation to the existing provincial highway network.

Wynne says the communities are set to start environmental assessments by January, and plan to begin construction in 2019.

VIDEO: Liberal government says infrastructure investments will unlock Ring of Fire development projects

© 2017 The Canadian Press