Hi Aafab,
Well said and I would like to expand on your comments. When my family moved from Manitoba to Alberta in 1966, I was a young boy. At that time, Fort McMurray was a town of 2000 people and an old Hudson Bay trading post peopled mainly by First Nations. Sound familiar? Well it should because all of Ontario's remote northern communities range from 1000 to 3000 people, are mainly old Hudson Bay trading posts and are peopled mainly by First Nation communties. In Fort McMurray, times have changed and it is now a city of 50,000 with highway, railroad, major airline service, and all of the infrastructure of any major centre. The resources were there and so they were developed, regardless of the remoteness or the political climate in the province at any given time. Just for the record, it is not just "up the highway from Edmonton", but rather, it is a long trip by vehicle through a lot of boreal forest and muskeg (about 450 km.). Fort McMurray is a well known example that is based on oil. However, there are many other fully serviced towns and small cities in northern Alberta and BC that are based upon the extraction and processing of other resources (forest products and mining). Again, because the resources were there, and because Alberta and BC are resource based economies, development occurred into some of the most improbable and remote areas that one can imagine. These areas now thrive and drive the provincial economies in a big way.
I mention all of this to give people some comfort that Ontario is on the cusp of a fantastic opportunity that is actually one of the last, great remaining physical development opportunities on the planet. It is almost as though the province has been holding a major economic opportunity in trust (albeit inadvertently) for all these years. Now that the stars have aligned, it is time to dip into that trust to bolster an economy in the south that has taken a beating and needs some support. The government of Ontario has, in fact, recognized this and has publicly announced the importance of this to the overall health of Ontario, including the Golden Horseshoe. Legislation has been written to move it along (new Far North and Mining Acts) and whether one likes the legislation or not, that is its purpose. Furthermore, investment has been made (both private and public) and the wheels of government and industry are turning in a place where they have not turned before. Also, in spite of the endless jockying for position by various factions that one sees right now, the communities both want and need this to happen. For anyone in the south who has never spent time in actual remote, fly in only communities, the need for a real economy is for many, quite literally a matter of life and death. The communities will not stop development but rather, will at worst delay it to make sure that they are not being left out. Do not worry about who won the election yesterday. The development of Ontario's actual north is happening and will happen regardless of the political party in control. It is quite simply bigger than mere politics. Finally, do not be concerned about getting to these resources. The notion that Ontario's "vast" north is any more difficult to access than the rest of Canada's "extremely vast" north is merely a case of special pleading. For those not aware, there are all weather logging roads that already extend as far north as right across (actually in view of) the Albany River at Fort Hope (Eabametoong First Nation). My point in mentioning this is that forest products companies can penetrate boreal forest and muskeg with surprising celerity and have repeatedly demonstrated just how easily remote northern resources can be accessed if the will is there.
This whole thing is indeed very complex, sensitive and difficult. However, it is no more so than many other resource extraction developments that have happened in the past. Don't hold your breath, because it will take some time. Instead, breath deeply and relax.
RHammer
