Ontario back on solid ground!

By Kevin Vincent

Whether it’s Sudbury, Timmins, Thunder Bay or Webequie, if the provincial legislature isn’t in session, chances are you’ll find Ontario’s Mines Minister George Pirie criss-crossing the province in an all-out mission to create jobs and attract investors to the boardrooms of juniors and producers.
And it’s working. Nearly a billion dollars was invested in exploration in Ontario last year (2023), a number the province hasn’t seen in decades.
“This is a very exciting time in all sectors,” Pirie told a packed audience at the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in June. “Whether it’s critical minerals, gold or base metals, it’s just our time. I said this last year, there’s a buzz in the room and there’s a buzz in this year’s conference.”
That’s a far cry from the years under the Liberal/NDP alliance that saw mines close, First Nations communities struggle, and investors allocating their dollars to other jurisdictions.

 

“We’ve got the geological signature...we have taken another step towards
securing our future.”

Pirie says Ontario has the minerals today to fuel tomorrow’s needs. “We need every pound of nickel we can produce, whether it’s from Sudbury, whether it’s from Timmins, whether it’s from the Ring of Fire - we don’t want the nickel from Indonesia.”
The Ford government believes that if Ontario is going to participate fully in the EV Revolution, the materials have to be sourced ethically, responsibly and in an environmental fashion that everyone supports.
“That’s supported globally, we don’t want the cobalt to come from Congo either, we want it from Northern Ontario, that’s who we are.”
Pirie says the definition of sustainability is meeting the needs of the current generation, without compromising the needs of the next generation. “And that’s what we do as miners here in Canada, but especially in Northern Ontario because I simply believe we are the best miners. I believe that because I was raised in the mining industry, I’ve seen the changes over the decades. I was part of that change of how we operated in the past, to how we operate now. We have operations that don’t even discharge water.”
“In fact, I was just at a mine in Sudbury and their water treatment facility is so good that the Ministry of the Environment came back and said ‘You got to add a few more minerals into them.’ It was that good. It was like they were discharging distilled water.”
The Mines Minister is sending strong signals to the industry. “Collectively we’ve got to raise our voices. We’ve got to be louder because it’s not going to happen effectively as it should unless everybody stands up and says; ‘This is who we are and this is what we can do’ so we have the full support of everyone.”
According to recent polls, 76% of Canadians acknowledge they want more mining. Why? Pirie says it’s understood that the electronic revolution can’t happen without mining. “You have to get the minerals out of the ground to use your cell phones, if you’re going to fully function within the aerospace industry the minerals have to come out of the ground. Technology is changing all the time and we’re getting better and better.”
Pirie told the audience that the mining industry is important to every community across Ontario especially to Indigenous communities.
“Everybody understands that nothing is going to happen without the Indigenous participation as full partners and that’s what we do. Take a look at Côté Lake. It has great employment numbers by Mattagami First Nation and Flying Post First Nation. Take a look at TTN and how they responded with Canada Nickel. This is just a couple of examples.”

The Ford government’s Critical Mineral Strategy was developed to fulfill the supply gaps that were discovered during covid. “It was like we woke up one day and said, ‘Geez we’re not producing anything, it all comes from someplace else’ - which means extensive delays.”
In 2023, Ontario produced approximately $6.4 billion worth of critical minerals. Critical mineral exploration investments totaled $349 million. There were 221 critical minerals exploration projects reporting activity in Ontario, an increase of 18% from 2022 to 2023. There are 124 active lithium exploration projects in Ontario an increase of 143% from 2022. Pirie says the numbers are no accident - the result of the work to attract investment and to support the sector. Since Ontario launched the Ontario Junior Exploration program (OJEP) they’ve funded 133 projects, totalling approximately $19.4 million.
“Usually, at this particular time in my talk,” Pirie reflected. “I talk about why I became involved in politics. It’s because I wasn’t happy with what I saw in Northern Ontario. The population decline, there was a funk in the industry. A previous Premier actually said, ‘Our economy isn’t going to be defined by individuals that are standing over a hole in the ground.’”
“Some hole in the ground, it’s a world class hole in the ground. We’re proud of those holes in the ground – and we’re the best at digging those holes in the ground. I don’t know about you, I got a little angry when they tore down the smelter at Kidd Creek - the world’s best smelter - 900 jobs - not a whimper, a couple of protests. I couldn’t imagine that happening anywhere else. Now our copper and other metals have to go over to the Horne smelter (in Quebec) which is one of the world’s dirtiest smelters.”
“How did we allow that to happen? Most importantly, we can’t let that happen again anywhere, especially in Timmins,” said Pirie as the crowd stood and applauded.
Pirie says that’s why the Innovation Fund is so important. Canada Nickel was the participant of some of those funds. They did research on sequestering carbon.
“I’ll say it again, it’s our duty, It’s our obligation, we’ve got the mineral wealth, we’ve got the geological potential, we’ve got the geological signature, and every time a prospector goes out there that gets some money and drills another structure that’s new, we have taken another step towards securing our future.”

Join Minister of Mines, George Pirie in Thunder Bay, September 12th at the CEN CAN Expo as he delivers his State of Mining Address as part of a full day conference during the event which is held at the Fort William Gardens on September 11-12. With over 300 displays at the event, Thunder Bay is showcasing its place as a Mining Hub globally.  

Register today for Tickets which include a trade show and conference pass which includes breakfast and lunch. Tickets are limited. Visit https://virtex.cencanexpo.ca/expoactivity/activitypage/type/expoactivity_pipeline to get yours today. For multiple tickets please call 705-264-2251.

Tags: Northern Ontario / Government / Battery Metals / All Articles