https://budget.ontario.ca/2022/pdf/2022-ontario-budget-en.pdf Our government has a plan to rebuild Ontario’s economy by making this province the workshop of Canada once again. It starts in the North, where roads to the Ring of Fire will help bring critical minerals to Southern Ontario and prosperity to First Nations and other communities in the Far North. Critical minerals like nickel and cobalt, combined with clean steel and powered by Ontario’s investments in nuclear energy, will help strengthen our homegrown supply chains for manufacturing electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The government has secured gamechanging investments from major car manufacturers to build EV batteries, and the electric and hybrid vehicles of the future. Made in Ontario, by Ontario workers and sold across North America and the world.
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Every day, Ontario is getting stronger. Critical minerals in the North, including from the Ring of Fire, will become part of the future of clean steel, batteries, and hybrid and electric vehicles as the next generation of automobiles are built in Ontario, by Ontario workers, and sold across North America. Small businesses and entrepreneurs will have the support they need to realize their dreams. The government’s plan will help bring better jobs and higher wages for the people of Ontario. Highlights
In March 2022, the Ontario government released the province’s firstever Critical Minerals Strategy, a fiveyear road map that will help strengthen Ontario’s position as a global leader in supplying critical minerals and Ontario’s supply chain for electric and hybrid vehicle manufacturing.
The Ontario government is investing $2 million in 2022–23 and $3 million in 2023–24 to create a Critical Minerals Innovation Fund to support the mining industry, academia, startups and research and development firms to find innovative solutions for extraction and processing of critical minerals.
In April 2022, Ontario released its LowCarbon Hydrogen Strategy to accelerate the development of the lowcarbon hydrogen economy in the province that will create jobs, attract investment and reduce emissions.
Ontario Power Generation is working to deploy Canada’s first gridscale Small Modular Reactor (SMR) as early as 2028, which would add clean, affordable and reliable energy to Ontario’s electricity grid, attract investment, and support goodpaying jobs in the nuclear sector for decades to come.
Ontario is supporting investments to help make the province a worldleading producer of clean lowemission steel to help build the hybrid and electric vehicles of the future.
As of early April 2022, Ontario has attracted nearly $11 billion in new investments in transformative hybrid and electric vehicle production and battery manufacturing in the province. Chapter 1: Ontario’s Plan to Build 24 Highlights (continued)
The Ontario government is investing nearly $107 million over the next three years to accelerate Ontario’s economy through critical technologies. Ontario is investing $10 million in 2022–23 to establish a Food Security and Supply Chain Fund to strengthen the province’s food supply, grow the workforce and to help sustain and expand the agrifood sector.
Ontario is investing nearly $96 million over three years to protect public safety and critical infrastructure during unlawful demonstrations and illegal blockades that impede international border crossings and protect vital supply chains on both sides of the border.
Seizing Ontario’s Critical Minerals Opportunities
The next chapter in the story of Ontario’s prosperity begins in the North. Ontario’s vast and varied geology provides tremendous opportunities for critical minerals exploration and development. Critical minerals are key components of innovative technologies for highgrowth sectors such as batteries, electronics, electric vehicles (EVs) and cleantech.
Advancing the Critical Minerals Strategy
In March 2022, the government released its firstever Critical Minerals Strategy. Since Ontario announced the development of the strategy in the 2021 Budget, stakeholders have provided feedback on how Ontario can build more integrated supply chains, and enhance investment in mineral exploration and development, as well as support partnership opportunities with Indigenous peoples.
Ontario’s Critical Minerals Strategy is a fiveyear road map that will help strengthen Ontario’s position as a global leader in supplying critical minerals. The strategy focuses on priorities that will support better supply chain connections between industries, resources and workers in Northern Ontario and manufacturing in the South, including Ontariobased EV and battery manufacturing. Ontario’s supply of critical minerals, processing capabilities and proximity to North American manufacturing hubs makes the province an ideal location for mineral exploration, mining and investment.
“These roads will help bring critical minerals to the manufacturing hubs in the South, which will bring prosperity to Ontario’s North.” The Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy Ontario’s Minister of Finance
Building the Corridor to Prosperity: Ring of Fire
The Ring of Fire is one of the most promising mineral deposits in the world and will play a key role in Ontario’s future economic prosperity. It will create jobs, unlock critical minerals and bring multigenerational opportunities to Northern and First Nation communities. Allseason, dependable road access is a prerequisite to unlocking opportunity in the region. These roads will help bring critical minerals to the manufacturing hubs in the South, which will bring prosperity to Ontario’s North, including First Nation communities, improving access to education, health care, goods and services, and housing.
Ontario has committed close to $1 billion to support critical legacy infrastructure such as allseason roads to the Ring of Fire. To support the construction of allseason roads, the government approved the provincial Terms of Reference for the Environmental Assessment for the proposed Marten Falls First Nation Community Access Road and Webequie First Nation Supply Road projects in October 2021. In addition, in April 2022, Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation announced that they will be submitting a Terms of Reference for the proposed Northern Road Link Environmental Assessment. The proposed road is the final piece of critical road infrastructure needed to ensure reliable, allseason road access to potential mining sites in the Ring of Fire and connect both First Nation communities to Ontario’s highway network. The provincial government will continue to work with the federal government to coordinate the impact assessment requirements for these projects.
Geopolitical forces are fueling a surging demand for reliable and responsibly sourced critical minerals, making this a strategic imperative for Canada. The Ring of Fire will bring significant economic, social and community benefits to the entire nation, and this historic project needs a full federal partner. This is why Ontario will continue to call on the Government of Canada to step up and match Ontario’s funding commitments to getting the road to the Ring of Fire built.
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Chart 1.1
Proposed Corridor to Prosperity
Enhancing the Ontario Junior Exploration Program and Establishing the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund
Enhancing the Ontario Junior Exploration Program
Junior mining companies will play an important role in unlocking Ontario’s critical minerals opportunity. This is why, in the 2021 Budget, the government announced the Ontario Junior Exploration Program (OJEP) to cover eligible costs of up to $200,000 for mineral exploration and development. To continue supporting this historic opportunity, the government is investing $12 million to extend the OJEP for an additional two years, attracting further investment and creating opportunities and jobs in this growing sector.
Ontario is also creating a Critical Minerals Stream for the OJEP by investing an additional $4 million per year for the next three years. The new stream will help ensure that funding from the OJEP supports critical minerals projects, in addition to those focused on precious metals. It will also provide critical mineral explorers with more opportunities to discover minerals that support electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing.
The Ontario Junior Exploration Program The Ontario Junior Exploration Program was established in 2021 and has generated significant interest in its first intake, with 38 applications in 2021–22 requesting $6.4 million in support and leveraging up to $13.6 million in privatesector funding.
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Investing in Critical Minerals Innovation
The government is investing $2 million in 2022–23 and $3 million in 2023–24 to create a Critical Minerals Innovation Fund. This initiative will help the mining industry, academia, startups, and research and development firms collaborate to develop new, innovative ways to extract and process critical minerals. The fund will support organizations pursuing innovative projects that create jobs, develop new technologies and attract privatesector investments, further strengthening the manufacturing supply chain and make Ontario a leader in battery technology, electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as advanced manufacturing.
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Planning Northern Transportation Northern Ontario is a land of opportunity with unique transportation needs. To harness that opportunity and bring prosperity to communities across the North, ongoing investment in transportation infrastructure is needed. In January 2022, the government established a local task force in Northern Ontario that will focus on transportation needs and opportunities in the region. The Northern Task Force, made up of communitybased leaders, will examine ways to make it easier for people and goods to travel, while boosting economic growth in the North. The task force includes mayors, Indigenous leadership and experts in the North who are working towards improving transportation infrastructure and services across Northern Ontario. This membership will ensure the approach to transportation planning in Northern Ontario is reflective of the diverse voices within the community and will inform the government of the most important local needs. In addition to northern transportation planning, the government is also committed to making significant investments in the Ring of Fire.
For additional information on Ontario’s investments in the Ring of Fire, see Chapter 1, Section A: Rebuilding Ontario’s Economy, Building the Corridor to Prosperity: Ring of Fire.
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