Ring of Fire Progress Update

December 14, 2022

The Empire Club of Canada Presents

Ring of Fire Progress Update

Chairman: Sal Rabbani, President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada

Moderator
Sal Rabbani, President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada

Distinguished Guest Speakers
Chief Bruce Achneepineskum (by video), Chief, Marten Falls First Nation
Lawrence Baxter, Senior Community Advisor, Marten Falls First Nation
Michael Fox, President & CEO, Indigenous Community Engagement
The Honourable George Pirie, Minister of Mines, Government of Ontario
Chief Cornelius Wabasse (by video), Chief, Webequie First Nation
Steve Dyck, Vice-President, Ontario Government Relations, SNC Lavalin
Ron Bernbaum,CEO & Founder, PearTree Canada

Head Table Guests
Steve Dyck, Vice-President, Ontario Government Relations, SNC Lavalin
Steve Flewelling, CEO, Ring of Fire Metals
David Lebeter, COO, Hydro One
Patrick Lilly, CEO, Ring of Fire GP Inc.
Marsha Seca, Board Director, Empire Club of Canada, Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs, Edelman Canada
Antoinette Tummillo, Past Board President & Board Director, Empire Club of Canada, President, Antoinette Tummillo and Associates Inc.

Introduction
It is a great honour for me to be here at the Empire Club of Canada today, which is arguably the most famous and historically relevant speaker’s podium to have ever existed in Canada. It has offered its podium to such international luminaries as Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, the Dalai Lama, Indira Gandhi, and closer to home, from Pierre Trudeau to Justin Trudeau; literally generations of our great nation's leaders, alongside with those of the world's top international diplomats, heads of state, and business and thought leaders.

It is a real honour and distinct privilege to be invited to speak to the Empire Club of Canada, which has been welcoming international diplomats, leaders in business, and in science, and in politics. When they stand at that podium, they speak not only to the entire country, but they can speak to the entire world.

Welcome Address by Sal Rabbani, President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada
Welcome to the 119th season of the Empire Club of Canada. And to our in-person attendees joining us at the Arcadian Court in Downtown Toronto, I'm delighted to be here with you today. And our virtual audience joining in live or on demand, thank you for your participation and support. This incredible community of colleagues and peers is the driving force behind our mandate to engage, debate, and advance on issues of importance to Canadians. My name is Sal Rabbani, and I'm the President of the Board of Directors of the Empire Club of Canada.

To formally begin this afternoon, I'd like to acknowledge that we are gathering today on the traditional and treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the homelands of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wyandot Peoples. I'd also like to acknowledge that today, we have Chief Bruce and Chief Cornelius from the Treaty Nine communities of Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations attending virtually. Welcome.

This season, the Empire Club strives to bring you divergent and thought-provoking perspectives on issues that matter most to Canadians. Today's conversation will amplify the complexities involved, with an opportunity to advance Ontario's position in a leading industry. I hope today's discussion will give you a positive perspective on what is possible to achieve when we work together, and when we look for opportunities and challenges, and take shared responsibility in managing Ontario's development.

Turning to today's program, I want to recognize the Empire Club's distinguished past presidents—and I'd like to acknowledge my good friend Antoinette Tummillo, who's joined us here today. My fellow Board Director, Marsha Seca, who tirelessly was instrumental and put in a bunch of time to make this event a reality, and we couldn't have done it without you. Thank you very much, Marsha. And to our staff and volunteers, thank you for your contributions and making this event a success.

The Empire Club of Canada is a not-for-profit organization, and we'd like to recognize our sponsors, who generously support the club and make these events possible and complimentary for our online viewers to attend. Thank you to our lead event sponsors, PearTree Canada, SNC Lavalin; thank you to our VIP reception sponsors, Hydro One and LiUNA; and thank you to our supporting sponsor, Nieuport Aviation; and thank you to our season sponsors, Bruce Power and Hydro One.

For those joining us online, if you require technical assistance, please start a conversation with our team using the chat button on the right-hand side of your screen. We're accepting questions from the audience for our speakers, and you can undertake to scan that QR code that you have on your program booklet, or through the Q&A under the video player. It is now my pleasure to invite Steve Dyck, Vice-President, Ontario Government Relations, SNC Lavalin, to introduce our guest speakers. Steve, welcome.

Opening Remarks by Steve Dyck, Vice-President, Ontario Government Relations, SNC Lavalin
It's great to be here in person with everyone. I have a word of advice as we—two words for you, as we head into the holiday season and it's absolutely important to say yes to that extra dessert, that extra treat. The two words come from my daughter: stretchy pants. So, there you go.

So, with regard to, for SNC, we have been working with Indigenous communities and businesses for 75 years of the 110 years of operations in Canada. And over the last few years, like a lot of companies and Indigenous communities, we've seen a trend that is super important, and needs to strengthen, in order for the Ring of Fire and other major projects across the country to take place. And that is, Indigenous-led processes for major projects. We've had the privilege of working with Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations, to understand what an Indigenous-led environmental assessment process means. Which means, as for an example, looking at plant life from not only Western science terminology, but understanding plant life across this country as part of community, part of ceremony, part of heritage, part of well being, part of medicine. Moving into the commercial stages, where we're now seeing Indigenous communities, partners, as equity holders, as partners at the center of the table developing projects. We're seeing that with Marten Falls, with Webequie First Nations, and it's a trend that will make the Ring of Fire successful.

So, moving into the discussion, it gives me great pleasure to provide you with a few introductory details of each of our panellists. Each of them with unique experience and insight to share with us, for making projects happen in Ontario and beyond.

First, we have Minister of Mines, George Pirie. As a former mayor of Timmins and leader in the private sector with more than 35 years of experience, he brings an invaluable combination of public and private sector experience that will benefit reconciliation and progress in the Ring of Fire. I'm also duty-bound to point out that I met the minister just about an hour ago for the first time, and put my hand out and said, Leafs or Habs? He said, Leafs, Leafs, Leafs, forever. So, thank you, Minister. We know it's gonna be a good day.

Next, we have Chief Cornelius Wabasse. Chief Wabasse has had the privilege of representing his community for several terms and has provided vision and leadership that has not only inspired his community members, but his wisdom and advice that has been shared with a broader landscape of elected officials and private sector leaders.

Also joining us—as, as Sal alluded to in his comments—is Chief Bruce Achneepineskum, he's Chief Marten Falls. He's been the Chief of Marten Falls since 2015. Under his leadership, Marten Falls First Nation has redefined its economic and social development objectives, including what the community wanted to do with regard to partnering in the development of the Ring of Fire.

Our fourth panellist is Lawrence Baxter. An academic background in chemistry, with more than a quarter century of public service—thank you for that, Lawrence—with the Ministry of the Environment. Lawrence is a proud member of Marten Falls First Nation. He's been a lead negotiator for several key initiatives, and helps Marten Falls with regard to carving out the role for that community in the Northern Road Link Project.

Rounding out our panel we have Mike Fox. Mike brings a rare blend of experience as an Indigenous business leader who has experienced leading project work on behalf of communities, while building partnerships with the private sector. A former Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business board member, university lecturer; he is a force for good to strengthen the trend of Indigenous-led major projects.

Over you, Sal. And please, a warm welcome for our panellists.

Sal Rabbani
Good afternoon, welcome. This is a highly anticipated conversation, and I'm very excited. And I know that we have two Chiefs joining us virtually. And so, we'll kick it off with some of the questions, and I do have a device here, and so, please do submit some questions. And the first question is to Chief Wabasse, and Lawrence. You know, what kind of benefits will your community see from road infrastructure and potential mine development in your traditional territories, and how would you address the challenges and opportunities your communities are facing today? And welcome.

Chief Cornelius Wabasse (by video), Chief, Webequie First Nation
Good afternoon. My name is Cornelius Wabasse, I'm the Chief of Webequie First Nation. Boozhoo, everybody. Welcome to the event this afternoon. Thank you for inviting me to speak about road projects in the Ring of Fire. But before I do, I wanted to share my deep appreciation. The fact that the Ontario Minister of Mines would mandate for the Ring of Fire, did come to our community of Webequie to learn about our plans, our projects, and our aspirations, our community aspirations. He came during our summer festival this summer, this year, and he met with and spoke with our youth, and elders, and kids, and toured the community. We even took him to the airport, the starting point of the Webequie Supply Road. And we took pictures with minister at the initial brush clearing of the proposed road, to show him that Webequie is serious about the Ring of Fire. I know there are three road projects: Webequie Supply Road, a Community Access Road, and the more recent one, the Northern Road Link. All three roads have different proponents, and all three roles have distinct purposes.

Webequie and Marten Falls will name these roads in their own language in the near future. Hopefully, a naming ceremony with the Premier and the mines minister. With that said, I think it's very important to know why we are doing this. An Indigenous-led environmental impact assessment will help our community to make informed decisions about potential impacts and many opportunities in the Ring of Fire road developments. For example, the supply road could help us move materials, supplies, and people, from our remote Webequie Airport to the proposed mine sites. We're going through this process, because we're not opposed to development, but we want to make sure that any developments are balanced. We want to ensure that our members can participate, and that the needs and the wellbeing of our people and community come first. Our approach is about building our Nations from within. It is building out, it is a building strategy based on our inherent rights, and self-determination as First Nations. We want to be proactive; we want to be transparent; we want to be collaborative. But throughout the process, our community needs, such as housing, infrastructure, and clean energy, our two First Nations must always be a front and center as the Ring of Fire develops. We want to make sure that Webequie and Marten Falls communities are not left behind on any potential community opportunities on our lands. Yes, we are stewards of our lands. But we're stewards of our youth's future opportunities. Thank you, and Miigwech, for the opportunity. Thank you.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you. Chief Bruce?

Chief Bruce Achneepineskum (by video), Chief, Marten Falls First Nation
Hello.

Sal Rabbani
Welcome.

Chief Bruce Achneepineskum
Thank you for the opportunity to be present at the Empire Club, and this event that we hold today. I'm very glad to be here today. We're taking some time off from our Chiefs meeting today in Thunder Bay; we're meeting with the Matawa Chiefs. And we're glad to be here today to address some of the questions, and some of the panel questions, that we're going to be discussing today, and taking part. As you may know, Marten Falls is a proponent for our Community Access Road, Marten Falls Community Access Road. And we have a website, and it has a lot of information there that we've undertaken in the past few years. We're also a co-proponent with Webequie First Nation on that Northern Road Link, that just recently started. And we're excited about that. You know, for us, these projects signal a start to something in the near future, something great in the near future, for our communities. And then, we would like to work in partnership with industry and government, with the many issues that we have at the table, you know. But we also want to work with our First Nations, our Matawa First Nations are also in close proximity to the Ring of Fire and move forward with our brothers and sisters at the Matawa First Nations. So, I'll leave with that for now. Thank you for the opportunity.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you. Thank you very much. I think what I'll do is I'll actually just start with the minister, and we'll go through, maybe just have a quick round of introductions. I really appreciate everyone being here today, and I just wanted to maybe just ask if you might be able to say a few words. And maybe I'll start here.

Michael Fox, President & CEO, Indigenous Community Engagement
Oh. Yeah, glad to be here. For our host here, I always appreciate the invitations such as this. And we did our best to try to get these two Chiefs here, but they're in high demand, and could not attend in person. So, this is the second-best option. We're glad they were able to leave that meeting. I'm the project manager for the Webequie Supply Road, as well as the co-lead with Qasim Saddique —I don't know where he, where is he, is he here, there he is—that's the other co-lead. He's also the project manager for the Community Access Road. So, I just want everybody to acknowledge that; we're the technical leads, project managing the environmental impact assessments for all three roads.

Sal Rabbani
Excellent, thank you.

Lawrence Baxter, Senior Community Advisor, Marten Falls First Nation
Good afternoon, everybody. Nice to see all your smiling faces. And my name is Lawrence Baxter. You know, it seems to me that I'm the go-to guy when the Chief can't make these meetings, so. But anyway, I'm glad to be here. And I know this is exciting times, I guess, for me, to still be in this type of work I'm doing. As my previous job was working for Ministry of Environment, I spent 25 years in Northwestern Ontario. By the time I left the ministry, my region From Parry Sound all the way to Manitoba border and north. That's how big my region was, you know. So, I visited a lot of communities in Northern Ontario; I think I visited all the communities in that territory, so, and my other previous work. So, you know, so I pretty well know the layout of the land in Northern Ontario.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you.

The Honourable George Pirie, Minister of Mines, Government of Ontario
Well, good afternoon. It's a real honour for me to be here with all the folks, and the people that are listening as well, to talk about the Ring of Fire. As we know, this is a once-in-a-generational opportunity here in Ontario and Canada, and possibly for the global as well. I must say that the first meeting I had was in Newfoundland, and it was a Minister of Energy and Mines Conference. And I left there, and went immediately to the committee of Webequie, after being invited with Chief Wabasse, and of course, Chief Bruce was there as well. And it was the great, the best time to be there, because it was their summer festival. And what I did when I was there was that I listened. I listened. I listened to a vision that was expressed by the two Chiefs, and the other Chiefs who were at the same facility. And I listened to them tell us about their vision for a healthier community, a stronger community, a vibrant community. And quite frankly, that was music to my ears, as the Minister of Mines, as well as the Premier. Because in that boardroom that day, there's a framed picture with—and I think it's Chief Wabasse that was in that picture, shaking his hand. Because we all know about what this is all about. You know, it's a 14.6- billion-dollar increase in the GDP; it's about 2 billion dollars more in revenue for the province of Ontario; it's going to be 5800 jobs over 10 years. But it's more than that. It's building communities. It's building corridors of commerce throughout Northwestern Ontario to do one thing, to improve the lives of the community members in Northwestern Ontario. And that's the vision of the communities. It's as it should be. The two communities are the proponents of the roads, as it should be. And they lead the consultation process with the other communities in their traditional territory, as it should be. We're doing it differently here in Ontario because that's the what the Government of Ontario want, led by the Premier. We'll get this done, and we will be the best in the world to do it.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you very much, Minister. And I think one of the keys is partnership. And, you know, this has been a topic that we've heard about for some time, you know, the Ring of Fire. And I wanted to ask the panellists, you know, what have the conversations been like amongst officials and companies with interests in the Ring of Fire. and is this different from the past? And has any progress been made as a result?

Lawrence Baxter
I think what's so different about this whole process that we're involved with is that, you know, first of all, we are proponents of the two projects that I'm involved with, you know. We also have signed MOAs with the province—which is very unusual, you know. You never heard that kind of stuff 20 years ago. You know, normally at First Nations were ignored when there was going to be development in our territory. And that changed. And I believe that it was a protest over at the Ring of Fire area back in, I can't—this was before my time, you know—and I think out of that protest that happened there, I think things changed, started to change. And I think that it was really a wake-up call, not only for the industry, but also for the government. And so, we've made a lot of progress, you know, since then. You know, my brother was involved in that protest, and at that time, I think he was about 68 years old. And he took a snow machine from Nakina all the way to the Ring of Fire esker kemp. And I was just up there, esker kemp, recently, and people still talk about him. So, he's a legend up there. So, that's a good story, right? And he said, you know, he says, I was there for over a month, and everybody abandoned me. He says, it ended up, he says that the mining camp was feeding him. So, you know, I suppose it's, it's a good story. And, you know, and those are the kinds of stories, you know, we like to hear. You know, how everything gets evolved over time, you know. And I think that's what we're trying to do here, you know. Evolve this transition to, you know, how to communicate with our communities, and communicate with government, and industry. And I think that's what we're doing. So, we're always pushing for that.

Sal Rabbani
Excellent, thank you.

Michael Fox
Yeah. So, I mean, before, probably, you guys heard about the Regional Framework Agreement. It was sort of this collective approach to try to come to a set of principles and a process towards the Ring of Fire. It failed. It totally failed. It didn't go anywhere, despite the millions of dollars that were poured into it. And this new government decided, we're doing bilateral with hosts, for willing communities. And so, that's the key distinction in this process. Where Marten Falls and Webequie said, like, we have a vision, we have aspirations, and we want to lead it; not you guys—Ontario—you guys can support it, and we'll lead it. And that became the process of the sort of, the Indigenous-led EA. And that became qualitatively different, in terms of changing the relationships for everybody. That includes dealing with regulators, who had to sort of learn about the Indigenous principles, the provincial principles as well as the federal, and integrating all that into a process that's Indigenous-led Environmental Impact Assessment. And I think that's what's enabled, you know, sort of the continuation and the momentum, and looking at other aspirations within, sort of, that region.

That doesn't mean the other communities are not involved. Like there's, you know, you hear, you guys probably hear in the news, you know, the flare-ups. We capture that in our record of consultation. Like, we have probably the most rigorous, robust record of consultation as Indigenous-led projects, whereby it's probably almost weekly that we offered attempts to engage, to consult, almost on a Nation-to-Nation basis, you know, from one Council to another. So, we have uptakes on that. Like, we've, you know, been to probably three, four communities, where that Nation-to-Nation discussion is happening. And then, you get others upset, because we have 22 communities in our list of communities we have to engage in, and then you have the communities that want more, right? And so. they may not want to engage us directly. Sometimes they engage us through the media, or through their lawyers, you know. But we're always open, you know, like, one point. And I think that's what transformative. I think that Ontario is happening, I think even with Hydro One, like, you know, with their recent announcement, you know, 50% ownership of transmission lines, you know. That's probably shook the boots of the utilities across the country. There's no one, you know, those utilities, they don't like anybody touching their lines, kind of thing. So, that enabling mechanisms, you know, and that kind of vision across Ontario is what's making things happen, especially in this area.

Sal Rabbani
Minister?

The Hon. George Pirie
Yeah, and obviously, the government Ontario had a huge part to play, by the fact that they're actively involved in the process. A billion dollars committed by the province to make sure that this process is going to be funded, that—and it was going to be supported fully by the province and the premier. And this is an all-of-government approach for the government. This is, of course, we're looking at this much, much bigger than just a mining project. This is a quarter that will see transmission, Wi Fi; they'll see electrification of the communities, as well as the roads. So, this is transformational. We see this as being transformational, as well, from the point of view of the fact that we're supporting the process, and the process is led by the Indigenous communities. Because this is the vision for the communities.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you, I wanted to just touch on that one comment about the Hydro One-announced initiative, right? And these initiatives really seem to be changing the landscape in a good way, you know. What is the implication, you know, to support infrastructure development, specific to the Ring of Fire, as it relates to this type of an announcement? Michael?

Michael Fox
I think that it adds to the layers of aspirations, you know. Like, you know, when you have an enabling environment like that, and potential partners, I mean, you know, the—what is it—four or five remote communities in the Matawa area, they're not connected. You know, on the west side, it's Watay Power, and they're getting connected, you know, through transmission lines. And the east of them is Five Nations Energy; those James Bay communities are connected. So, you have a set of communities in the remote Ontario, where they're not connected. And so, they, you know, they probably see that, feel that, and have visions around that.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you. And, you know, we've seen internationally-renowned companies—I'm gonna go there—you know, take an interest in the Ring of Fire recently; Wyloo Metals acquired Noront. You know, recognizing these generational opportunities I've heard that exists in this region. What are some other positive signs that progress is being made, as it relates to the Ring of Fire?

Lawrence Baxter
We, you know, it's interesting that, I think, you know, everybody around the world, I think, is looking at this Ring of Fire; the opportunities that are there in terms of, you know, talk about critical minerals, you know, as a source for, you know. And I think there is still a lot to do in terms of explorations, you know, what is out there in that Ring of Fire area. And anyway, I do get calls a lot—I'm sure the Chief does, too, every day—you know, everybody wants a piece of the action up there, right? But, you know, but we have to follow a process, you know. First thing we need to do is this environmental assessment process that we need to do, you know. And just from my own experience—like I say, having worked with Ministry of Environment—you know, the industrial pollution that I saw over the years, you know. For me, it was a wake up call when I started with the Ministry of the Environment back then. First thing, they sent me out there, there was a fish kill in the city of Thunder Bay, you know. I used to hear of fish kills down in Florida somewhere, you know, when I was young—and here it is in my backyard, you know. And that's the thing that really drives me when I talk about environmental issues, you know, is that impact that I saw the first, back, way back about 40 years ago, you know. And I still keep that in my mind when I talk about environmental issues, you know, 'cause I, you know, I've lived with that, when I worked there. And I saw the damage that industry has done, you know; saw the water quality degradation that happened over the years. And this is the thing that always, you know, I sit around the table talking to people in, you know, industry. And I always keep that in mind, you know. And to this day, our First Nations memberships, that's a concern they have; that degrading the land, you know. Because the river system is their travel routes, that's their route system. You know, when they travel, they just take a pot of water from the river, you know, they drink that water.

So, that is where the First Nations are coming from when they talk about, you know—development just scares them, you know, to Hell, right? And that's what we're trying to avoid when we sit around the table with industry, government, you know, government regulators. And I know that they're putting us through the ropes when we do an environmental assessment—not just province of Ontario, but the federal government, too, under the Environmental Assessment Act. So, we try to do the best we can, you know. And I hope people hear that from me, that they're against development, you know. Because when you look at our communities, you know, the life there is not the best, right? They're living in third-world countries conditions. And so, this is what we're trying to do, how to better lives of our future generation. I think that's what we're talking about here. You know, looking at job opportunities, and, you know, maybe training opportunities. I think, you know, the, like, you know—because I've studied, I've looked at people from the communities, you know. Like I said, I've been to all the communities in the territory. And you know, people are happy the way they live, but you know, the life could be better, you know.

I remember, one time I went to one community, and we were talking about self-government. And these elderly people said, you know, I'm happy the way I am, I got a roof on my head, you know. But I think the young people want something better than that today, you know. I think they want a good education; they want good jobs. And I think we're doing the right thing; trying to find like, you know, something that's going to be beneficial for our youth. And that's the way I look at it, you know. So, hopefully that, you know, we accomplished something, you know. And I think what we're doing right now, at least the two communities, is very tangible, what we're doing here, you know. We're not sitting around a table and we're talking with Chiefs and Elders, you know. We're moving forward. So, I think that's really the key. And I think we need to sustain that as we move forward.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you. I want to build on that. And I'd like to ask Chief Bruce, you know, what do you hope—and Chief Wabasse—you know, that projects like the Ring of Fire will bring to the future of your communities, and for the future of the youth as we talked about?

Chief Bruce Achneepineskum
Good day. Thank you for that question. For us, you know, as Lawrence said, it means improving the quality of life for our members and for our communities. From what I understand from the proposed Ring of Fire development, this will be one of the largest developments in Ontario, and you know, in relation to mining; just because of the size of the potential deposits, the deposits that are there now, and the future exploration finds in that area. It's ongoing. I don't think all of the claims have been quantified. But, you know, getting back to the question, you know, for us, it means movement towards self-determination, self-sufficiency, and alleviating dire conditions that the communities are in now, the communities surrounding the Ring of Fire. You know, there's reports out there from our communities, our organizations, that there's chronic under underfunding of housing, housing programs, a lack of recreation infrastructure, and a lack of services that, you know, you'll find in urban centers, like daycares and other facilities. So, you know, we're trying to improve our way of life by building up our infrastructure. So, you know, we need to have the governments of the day—both the federal and Ontario government—come to the table and address those issues. Because, you know, a mine can start there. But for our people to be involved in working there, you know, in the end, they have to come to home and have a place to live. So, you know, that's what strikes me today about where we are. Thank you.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you. Chief Wabasse?

Chief Cornelius Wabasse
Good afternoon, everybody. Yeah, for Webequie I think, you know, it's an opportunity for our community as well, too, you know, in terms of improving our community infrastructure, and also other services in our community, including education and health, for our community. So, we look forward to working together, you know, with government, with other First Nations as well, too. For Webequie, we do have a vision of our own for our community, where we develop, you know, a system that can sustain our community in the near future, you know. For us, you know, we have our reserve, which is, you know, the tier one. And then we have the second tier, which is, you know, our way of life, you know, where we want to keep our culture, and also introduce or work with our people in maintaining our culture. And the third tier would be the, you know, the opportunity, where we would have agreements with government, and also industry. It will be a mutual benefit area for our people, where we would get our resources to be able to develop one and two. So, this is a vision for our community. Also, I've said previously that, you know, as, you know, the Ring of Fire develops, that we want to see parallel activity in our community as well, too. You know, our communities develop in parallel with the Ring of Fire development, you know, as we move forward. And I think we have made a lot of progress moving towards that.

But I think we need to be more active in that sense, to accommodate our vision. Also, we need to be cognizant of the other First Nations, their concerns as well, too. We need to be able to be open, and work together, and come up with, you know, some solutions or some options that can work for us—and all parties, as well—to actually move forward. We're, you know, very, you know, interested. And also, we're hopeful that, as we move forward, that some of the aspirations that we have in our communities will be, you know, materialized into reality. So, that's what I'm hoping for, for our young generation. I know the young generation is moving into the future, new things, new technology, a new way of life. But we also want to be able to keep our culture, you know, within our community. And also, our language, you know. Language is very important to us as well, too. You know, for our community up in Webequie, we still use, you know, a lot of our language in the community. But we still have to work on instilling that language within our young people. And that's why Elders are a very important to be part of this process, too, and also the women. So, looking forward to, you know, working together, and making sure that all parties prosper and benefit from the future development of the Ring of Fire. Thank you.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you. Minister, I might ask you a question now. You know, there's a lot of geopolitical pressures that we're facing globally. and so, you know, when you think of the Ring of Fire, you know, how is that relevant in terms of your strategy, your critical mineral strategy? And how does that factor in to some of these strategies?

The Hon. George Pirie
Well, certainly everybody in this room is aware of what's happening in Ukraine, with the illegal attack by Russia, attacking Ukraine. We know—and everybody around this room knows—exactly how it's impacted the supply chains. Europe right now is being held ransom because Russia holds most of the energy that Europe owns. We all also know that, in fact, the Chinese control most of the production of rare earths in China, and also control the Cobalt that's produced in in the Congo. In fact, the federal government has just recently announced the fact that the Chinese will not be allowed to participate in the rare earth opportunities, or the opportunities with critical metals in Canada. So, that's an obvious sign that is, that should be, everybody should be aware of the fact of what these, what the type of world we live in right now. And fundamentally, when we look at the Ring of Fire, and other areas in Ontario that we have that hold critical minerals, this is an unbelievable opportunity to match the mineral potential in Ontario, Northern Ontario—the Ring of Fire being the largest and undeveloped source of rare earths and critical minerals, perhaps, in the globe—to be matched with the processing—and other parts of Northern Ontario—with the manufacturing facilities in Southern Ontario, so we end up with a secure supply chain.

And again, I think, finally—those of us in the mining industry have known how important this is—but finally, I think the citizens of Ontario realize how important it is to have secure supply chains. We have a real team in Ontario, really, on this project every single day. And we're expecting more, in the next couple of weeks, significant announcements on investments in battery minerals technology and EVs in Ontario. And matching them with the mineral potential in Northern Ontario is, really, what must happen if we're going to have a secure supply chain. The real opportunity here as well is, of course, to have full participation. We've got good relationships with Enercan and the federal government. But more now than ever, we need the federal participation and funding. As you know, the province has announced a billion-dollars investment in this infrastructure. And it's now the time for the federal government to get their pens out and sign a check. The opportunities with the Indigenous community have been well expressed, and their vision on what they see that will accrue to the communities for healthier and stronger communities. So, we this project and these projects do exactly what's required for all of society, not just in Ontario, but in Canada.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you. We have, I think, a few minutes left, and a bunch of questions that have come in, and so, I've got my other phone here. And I want to just ask this group. And one of the questions is, what is the best way to build a respectful relationship with other Chiefs that may not currently support the development of the Ring of Fire? Any words of wisdom, any thoughts there?

Michael Fox
I think it's there. The relationships, I mean, that like Treaty Nine Chiefs, they're part of Treaty Nine. And they work with each other, you know, in other forms, you know, within that treaty area, outside the treaty area; with Chiefs of Ontario; seeing them at the Assembly of First Nations last week. So, it's there for certain things, you know, and then there's issues that has to be worked out, you know. And I think part of it's this UNDRIP, United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People. And people focus a lot on FPIC—the free prior-informed consent. There's many other clauses in there that's been invoked by these two communities, right? So, the right to self-determination. So, you've got to think about that, you know. Indigenous aspirations, you know, presupposes Indigenous autonomy, which, you know, it sort of equates to Indigenous agency. So, I think these two communities, really, they're not there to be victims of development, but agents of development, in a way that's going to balance their environmental stewardship responsibilities and improve the quality of life for their communities. I mean, that's, that's the message that they're trying to convey, I guess, to their peers in the region and elsewhere. But just like, as part of the geopolitical dynamic, is the environmental NGOs, you know, that come in there, that ends up being sort of proxy voices, you know, for different interests. And so, we deal with that, too, you know, in our process, So, we invite them, you know. If they've got things to say about the road that, you know, they want to shape it, you know, enhance it, you know. In a way, we're there to listen.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you.

The Hon. George Pirie
And for me, of course, you know, my career was all in mining. We built the Musselwhite Mine, just a little west of the Ring of Fire. And developing that Musselwhite Mine was kind of a torturous process. It was discovered in 1968, and I think it was finally built in 1996, because I think it just had it's 25th anniversary. And back in the early 90s, we were already negotiating with the five Nations that were going to be signatory to the agreements that were going to be required for the, to get the MOUs signed, and IBA signed. And let me say that the toughest thing that you can gain is trust. So, if in fact, you're going to be successful in any negotiations with First Nations, trust is absolutely essential. It's the hardest thing to get. It's the easiest thing to lose. And you must remember this. The words that you say to the First Nations Chiefs, the Indigenous people, have to be true. They're not just academic words. You must speak the truth to gain trust. And when you do, you've got the best partners in the world. That's absolutely essential. Trust.

Sal Rabbani
This was a great conversation, and we've come to time. And so, I'd like to maybe just offer an opportunity to the panel, just for any final thoughts or remarks.

Michael Fox
I think that there's changes in the air. Like, you know, I've been, you know, I had less gray hair when this all started 15 years ago—I don't know where you guys were 15 years ago, but that's how long I've been in this scenario. And there's, you know, the Indigenous-led projects, with Wyloo buying Noront—or Ring of Fire Metals, now—with Steve, you know, at our table. And the vision they have for how they want to develop, you know, zero emissions, if possible, you know, green energy, maximum Indigenous participation. I'm pretty sure that's, you know, that's what was told to us, and that's the vision they have. And with Ontario, I mean, what matters is the two communities right now. You know, supporting them with the momentum, because they're gonna make it happen. And they're there to facilitate, not frustrate. Thank you.

Lawrence Baxter
Well, I'd like to agree with Mr. Pirie about having trust. You know, I remember years ago—I was a Chief back then, back in the 90s—and I was dealing with a forestry company. And I was telling my mother about getting involved with a forestry company, you know. And they were gonna do a number of things for the First Nations. And my mother says, [indiscernible]. That means, you know, it's probably not true, you know, is what she said. So, back then, they didn't trust. They didn't trust companies back then. But I think we're building that trust slowly, you know, and it has to come from both sides, you know. And I can remember the first time I started this job. I went—my cousin's here somewhere. Him and I went to the Chief and Council meeting dealing with a consulting company. And it was the former Chief there, sitting at the end of the table. And it was just—I felt the tension, you know, between the two, big two parties there. And there was an impasse. They didn't know where to go, how to move forward. And I said to the consultants that just came in, I said, why don't you guys go take a walk for an hour, and my cousin and I will go take a walk, and you, and I says, you, Chief and Council, you make a decision on how you're going to run this meeting, you know. So we, you know, we left, both of us, thinking that, you know—I think that was the start of our working together as a group, you know, that. You know, it doesn't have to be hostile, you know, immediately, right? You know, those thoughts sometimes probably will generate themselves as you go down that route, you know. Because you're going to have disagreements on how you move forward, right? You know, it's just a fact.

And, you know, sometimes we have to be very conciliatory from time to time to move forward. And, you know, I mean, many times, we state our position, dealing with government, you know. And for instance, when we we're dealing with initially with the road, we wanted a road to Marten Falls. The government came back and said, nope, we're gonna entertain one road through the Ring of Fire. And we said, before that happens, Marten Falls wants a road to the community. And, you know, and that's part of that negotiations, you know. This is what we want. Before anything happens at the Ring of Fire, we have to have a road to Marten Falls. And, you know, and part of that reason was that once that road is built to the Ring of Fire, you know, we have access, you know, so that people can travel that road, they can have access to the Ring of Fire if they want to work over there. So, you know, that was part of the idea. And, you know, and so, we were thinking long term, you know, not short term. Like I say, you know, you read that this mine, like, Chromite is going to be there for about, they're gonna mine that for a hundred years, the next hundred years, you know. And who knows what else is there? So, and I think that's what we're looking at, opportunities for membership, job opportunities, training, is the key, you know. And so, they have to go hand in hand somehow, you know—and that would be somebody else's job, you know. We're just looking at building the road, you know. And where we start is where we're at right now, dealing with environmental processes.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you. Chief Bruce, Chief Wabasse.

Chief Bruce Achneepineskum
Good day, it's Chief Bruce Achneepineskum. Thank you. And I thank my colleague and Elder, Lawrence, for his comments. You know, I think that the processes previously worked on, like, the original framework agreement. You know, it started out with good intentions to, more or less, address community issues in the region. Especially, those communities that were most impacted by the Ring of Fire, that would be most impacted by Ring of Fire development. And, you know, I had a, we had, like Lawrence said, we had worked with the previous government, and set forward that, you know—the previous Ontario government—that we set forward that, you know, this is our initial request from the government. That, you know, we not be left behind in any development, and that you have to, you have to prove your, your words are right here. The words of trust that the minister has spoken today that he holds, and that mutual respect, and that relationship that will be built with the First Nations in the region, especially those First Nations that are the Matawa of First Nation communities that will be impacted by the development. You know, we have to find a way to address their concerns. And my question is, you know—to the government—will be, why not start a process, so that, you know, a table again, so that, you know, we may address those issues. Because it was, as I see it, you know, if we don't have the willing participants from other communities in the nearby area, you know, things will be delayed and even halted. You know, there's that potential scenario that may happen, because Aboriginal and Treaty Rights have gotten stronger over the years, and many First Nations have won court cases. And that's what I think Industry Canada wants. You want project certainty; we want certainty on the issues that we put forward to government. And we can no longer be ignored. Thank you.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you.

Chief Bruce Achneepineskum
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the issue about the [indiscernible] in our area. I see a lot of potential there, opportunity for training, and prosperity for our communities. And I would like to see, you know, us working together, developing, you know, a relationship that can, you know, move us forward to a better future for our communities, especially our young people. Our, you know, our infrastructure in our communities. Like I was saying, I'd like to see parallel, you know, activity happening in our area. Where we see development happening in the area, and we see development happening in our communities at the same time. And also, to have the resources to be able to have, you know, education, health, and the wellbeing of our people throughout the, you know, the process of developing the Ring of Fire. We don't want to, you know, be left behind, like we said. And we like to see, you know, good relationships, and also be allowed the opportunity to be involved in the process like we are now. And we're looking forward to, you know, to be able to accomplish a lot of good things for ourselves, and our communities, you know, all those that are involved in the process. So, we look forward to a, you know, good relationship, and being able to understand each other as we move forward. Thank you.

Sal Rabbani
Thank you. Minister, any final words?

The Hon. George Pirie
I'm fine.

Sal Rabbani
Excellent. Well, thank you. Thank you very much to everyone for being here in our panel, for your time, and a thoughtful consideration on the opportunities that the Ring of Fire can bring to Ontario. And for setting an example of how folks can work together. I'd now like to call upon Ron Bernbaum, CEO and founder of PearTree Canada, to deliver the appreciation remarks.

Note of Appreciation by Ron Bernbaum, CEO & Founder, PearTree Canada
Thank you, Sal. I'm just, I just have about three minutes of well-deserved thank you's. First of all, let me take the opportunity to express, I think, everybody's appreciation and thanks to the panel members for their commitment to enhancing the quality of life in Northern Ontario and elsewhere. I think the minister sort of hit the nail on the head, that yes, it's about reserves and, and mining, but it's all about the quality of life and how things can be better. And everybody on this panel has demonstrated their lifelong commitment to helping others, which is, I think, usually appreciated. We all know, in the, those of us in the exploration sector, that with exploration comes mine development, and with mine development comes everything from electricity to—and with electricity, potable water—and basically, just a much better quality of life, if done right. I'd especially like to thank Chiefs Bruce and Cornelius for sharing their insights. I think there's a, I think we all agree that there's a sense of an evolving optimism that this will actually get done, and a collective commitment for the for the greater common good—and in some respects, for the sovereignty of Canada, with critical minerals. Lawrence, thank you for your insights and experience from Marten Falls, and Michael, for your experience in Indigenous consultation. This work is critical to the success of resource projects in Ontario and across Canada. And I don't think I'm saying anything that we haven't already heard with great enthusiasm by all the panel participants.

I'd especially like to thank Minister Pirie for coming here today. But moreover, for running for provincial parliament—I know that was a big risk and change in life—and congratulate him, as we all do, for his win. For those of us who have been advocating for evidence-based government tax incentives in the mining sector, in the case of PearTree, that goes back more than a decade. It is remarkable to have somebody across the table who's a domain expert, who knows more than what we're talking about, who gets it, understands it, has lived it, knows the challenges, and understand what needs to get done. But with that, we expect to see, I suppose, you know, real-world substantive policy advancing the northern resource development.

Minister Pirie, just one comment. And that is, some months ago, you made a speech in which you said that we need to look no further than the east side of James Bay, to the Québec side, for the templates and approaches that have resulted in very significant exploration and development in that province's north. There are folks in this room who can teach the master class in delivering public and shareholder value under the Québec rules, and who are standing by to help. And of course, I'm referring to the Osisko Mining CEO John Burzynski, who can attest and inform on how that system results in tremendous successes, as seen in Osisko's Malartic find some years ago, and now being replicated at Windfall. That said, both he and I can confirm that the biggest single tool in the toolbox in accelerating broad and immediate investment, is through provincial investment tax credits as an add-on to the flow-through regime.

Minister Pirie, you've heard this from me before, but by way of very real time example—and then I'll conclude—on April the 7th of this year, the federal government passed a Critical Mineral Tax Credit. Last year, PearTree did just over five hundred million in flow-through, of which less than three percent were in critical minerals. In the first quarter of this year, less than three percent were in critical minerals. Since April the 7th, we have done 80 million dollars in a dozen deals. That's 80 million of flow-through investment, which results in 80 million dollars of accretive jobs in the north. Of those dozen transactions, only one was for Ontario. Of the 80 million dollars, 60 million was for Québec exploration in critical minerals. There's a direct causal line between a tax credit and taxable activity in the North. The Québec tax credits outperformed the Ontario ones. And again, and it would be very helpful, and I suggest to you, sir, that as a first commitment, that the Canadian, that the Ontario tax credits be increased as a first step for critical minerals, and then expanded. Because we'll see the activity that you, that we all want to see in the North, and in the Ring of Fire. I really hope that, three years from now, we, at another lunch such as this—and we'd be happy to sponsor it—that we look back and celebrate your successes, Minister Pirie, and seeing greater investments in Ontario's northern communities, and the good that comes from that investment. Thank you all for joining us today for this really important conversation.

Concluding Remarks by Sal Rabbani
Thanks again to all our sponsors, and everyone joining us today, in person or online, to the esteemed panellists. As a club of record, all of our Empire Club events are available to watch and listen to on our website. The recording of this event will be available shortly, and everyone registered will receive a link through an email. In the new year, on Thursday, January the 12th, join us for our "Annual Investment Outlook." Our esteemed speakers will share their expertise to help businesses in Canada understand how to preserve and grow their wealth. Thank you for joining us today. We invite you to stay and join us in the lobby for continued networking. Have a great afternoon. See you in the new year, and this meeting is now adjourned.