Read the OCC’s report, The Great Mosaic: Reviving Ontario’s Regional Economies here.

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Federal and provincial governments should use
procurement to support Indigenous entrepreneurship
by providing suppliers with incentives to have more
Indigenous content in their businesses.58 Investing in
Northern Ontario’s infrastructure projects will have
long-term benefits as weak infrastructure is a major
barrier to Indigenous economic development and
Indigenous firms are often involved as proponents or
contractors in these projects. Some examples are the
forest access roads and Ring of Fire route discussed in
Chapter 2. The Ontario government should work with
Indigenous stakeholders to identify these opportunities.

Similar economic impacts are expected with the
construction of an all-season access road to the
Ring of Fire. Once completed, the road will serve an
industrial purpose (providing access to the mining
district) as well as a social one (connecting remote
communities to other regions). Marten Falls and
Webequie First Nations are acting as proponents for the
environmental assessments of two sections of the road,
working together with industry to improve economic
development opportunities in Northwestern Ontario

A reliable, safe, and high-quality transmission system
is essential to powering Ontario’s economy. Building
new transmission lines will be necessary to support
the growth of industries that are heavily dependent
on energy, such as cannabis, and unlock economic
development opportunities such as the Ring of Fire
chromium deposits in Northern Ontario.