http://www.ontla.on.ca/house-proceedings/transcripts/files_pdf/09-MAR-2017_L053.pdf

MINING INDUSTRY
Mr. Michael Mantha: My question is to the Premier.
This week, I attended the annual PDAC conference,
where I had the chance to talk to many stakeholders from
the mining sector.
This is what I heard, Premier: Despite 70,000 current
jobs depending on the industry, we’re way down on the
list when it comes to investment attractiveness and policy
effectiveness—only sixth in Canada when we should be
first. Investors have no confidence in this government’s
policies.
This Liberal government keeps saying that it planned
to spend $1 billion in the last budget to develop infrastructure in the Ring of Fire.  But besides lawyers,
bureaucrats and accountants on Bay Street, where is the
progress on the Ring of Fire?
Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Northern Development and Mines.
Hon. Bill Mauro:  The member, in one question,
talked about two different topics. One moment he’s talking about the Ring of Fire, and in the first instance he’s
talking about investment in Ontario in the mineral
development sector. Let’s deal with the first half of it
first.
Fundamentally, Speaker, the member is wrong. The
increase in the exploration sector in the province of
Ontario is going north. It is getting larger than it has been
in the past. So I’m not sure who the member was talking
to at PDAC, but I think that for those of us who attended
that conference, on this side of the House, we are hearing
a very different story. The industry is optimistic. They
feel very excited about the way things are going in the
province of Ontario right now. Actually, the raw numbers, when you look at exploration dollars being invested
in the province of Ontario—the projection this year and
the increase last year—speak very positively about
what’s going on in the province when it comes to the
mineral development sector. We’re very proud of that.
On the second half of his question, I’m happy to talk
about that in the supplementary.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?
Mr. Michael Mantha: Once again, to the Premier:
First Nations communities, miners, prospectors and other
people from the industry are frustrated with the lack of
leadership from this government. This Liberal government has had a copy-and-paste approach to infrastructure
plans in the last three Liberal budgets, without actually
developing even a trail—even a trail—to the Ring of
Fire.
First Nations are asking, as well as industry and many
across northern Ontario, what has this government done
and where have you been? The people of Ontario deserve
better. First Nations are asking for action. When will you
start delivering results and ignite the Ring of Fire?
Hon. Bill Mauro: Speaker, I think that if you talk to
the nine Matawa First Nation member communities, they
will tell you very clearly what we’ve done and where
we’ve been.
Again, this is no different than the question that was
asked by the PCs a little while ago where they wanted to
frame the mining sector in Ontario in the context of only
one project. Of course, that is their goal, to make it look
like things are not going well.
As I said to the member from the official opposition,
there are currently three mines under construction in the
province of Ontario. Exploration dollars are increasing
from where they were in the past, and of course when
they’re not, this is relative to global demand and global
price. If the price is down, obviously exploration is not
going to occur if they can’t make money at it.
There are three mines under construction right now.
The mining sector is doing well. We support it. The
NIER Program, the Northern Industrial Electricity Rate
Program, is a big part of that. Currently 10 mines benefit
from that. It’s a competitive sector and—