Ring of Fire road to bring prosperity to First Nation, problems for caribou: report
A proposed road to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire in northern Ontario will bring economic prosperity to Webequie First Nation, though it may endanger caribou in the region, a newly released assessment finds.
Webequie First Nation is leading an environmental and impact assessment of the Webequie Supply Road that would connect to mining exploration activities in the Ring of Fire.
That road will connect to two other proposed roads that would link the remote First Nation to the provincial highway system hundreds of kilometres south.
“This is a critical milestone for our people and our project,” Chief Cornelius Wabasse said in a statement.
“We are proud of this important work and the respectful approach taken to get it done. We are also grateful for all those who support Webequie’s journey to self-determination, economic self-reliance and a better future for our people.”
The work and subsequent draft report were done under the province’s Environmental Assessment Act and the federal Impact Assessment Act. The report is thousands of pages long and has been shared with 22 other First Nations in northern Ontario for a 60-day review period, which will be followed by a final report filed to both levels of government.
The assessment examined how the natural and socioeconomic environments, Indigenous land use and traditional knowledge of the area would be affected by building the supply road.
The 107-kilometre, two-lane road will take four to six years to complete once construction begins and will need six bridges and 25 culverts to cross various bodies of water, the report said.
The proposed road will run northwest-southeast for 51 kilometres from the First Nation’s airport to the next segment that will run 56 kilometres east-west to McFaulds Lake and the Eagle’s Nest mineral exploration site.
The proposed mine is owned by Wyloo, an Australian mining company with its Canadian operations based in Toronto.
The road is expected to last 75 years, after which major refurbishments will be needed.
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The projected construction costs to the province are $663 million, though it’s unclear yet who will own the road and who will be allowed to use it. The First Nation said those details will come in future negotiations with Ontario.
“Our vision for the Webequie Supply Road is an economic development road that creates real opportunities for our young people and future generations to drive to work and back,” Wabasse said.
“This project offers possibilities to provide skills training for our youth, create new jobs and business opportunities, and strengthen Webequie’s economic future while remaining deeply connected to our land and traditions.”
The report assumes construction would start in the winter of 2028 and be complete by the summer of 2032, though a start date has yet to be announced.
The report comes amid great debate about mining in northern Ontario.
Premier Doug Ford’s government recently passed Bill 5 into law with the aim to speed up development of mining and other projects. The new legislation has been met with outrage and resistance from First Nations.
The government has given itself the power to suspend provincial and municipal laws through the creation of so-called “special economic zones” for projects it chooses.
The province intends to designate the Ring of Fire the first such zone, though it has said it will not do so until it consults with First Nations in the region. Details about how that would actually work are sparse.
The Webequie Supply Road is expected to have a significantly positive effect on the First Nation’s economy during construction and beyond, the assessment found.
“Community members have emphasized the issues of unemployment and the lack of growth and learning opportunities,” the report said.
“With the anticipated road access connectivity from the project, potential economic growth is expected, leading to job opportunities for community members, allowing them to work closer to home.”
The province has pledged some $70 million to help train Indigenous workers for jobs in development and mining. Wyloo also trains its workers who are conducting mineral exploration at the Eagle’s Nest site.
Other mining and forestry opportunities are likely to arise once the road is built, the report found.
By and large, the threats to animals and plants from road construction are not considered significant, except for a few species at risk that include the boreal caribou.
There are about 5,000 caribou left in the province, the vast majority of them in northern Ontario. Webequie First Nation and the proposed road are within that animal’s range.
The species is considered threatened in Ontario, which means it could become endangered if protective steps are not taken.
Construction and operation of the road is “expected to provide predators such as wolves increased access to the caribou, particularly where the road traverses natural movement corridors,” the report said.
“Overall, caribou injury or death due to changes to predator-prey dynamics from the project is considered a significant adverse effect based on current vulnerability of the population,” the report found.
The construction of the road will also change the caribou’s habitat, it said.
Road construction will also affect another threatened species, wolverines, the report found. There are only two known mature female wolverines in the entire study area. One den is within 400 metres of the proposed road site and “will likely lose function as denning habitat due to the indirect effects of clearing activities.”
About half of the proposed road is in the James Bay Lowlands, which is dominated by peatlands, a weak material to build a road upon. Engineers have decided a “floating road” is the best option, done by “carefully loading materials over peat, allowing time for it to consolidate and increase in strength.”
While building the road will have an effect on all parts of the environment, much of that will be negligible with proper mitigation efforts, the report found.
For example, the report said fish and their habitat will not be significantly affected as crews build the six bridges and 25 culverts because construction barriers will be temporary.
The First Nation is also concerned the road will bring more alcohol and illicit drugs to the community, and said it will try to limit access to outsiders during construction as much as possible.
“Webequie First Nation remains committed to an Indigenous-led approach that supports responsible development while upholding our environmental stewardship responsibilities,” its chief said.
A new poll by Leger has found that Quebec residents are the happiest in Canada.
The web survey of nearly 40,000 Canadians found that Quebecers rated their happiness at an average of 72.4 out of 100, which is well above the national average.
New Brunswick followed Quebec with an average of 70.2, while Manitoba and Prince Edward Island finished at the bottom of the list.
Mississauga, Ont. had the highest happiness rating of the 10 largest cities, while Toronto was lowest.
Montreal finished second in the category.
The survey found that 49 per cent of respondents said their happiness level was unchanged over the past year, while 23 per said they were happier and 28 per cent said they were less happy.
“These results reveal a population that is both resilient and tested, affected by everyday uncertainty and challenges,” Leger’s executive summary read. “Happiness, while holding its ground overall, shows signs of fragility.”
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The survey found that people in the 18-to-24 and 24-to-34-year-old categories were more likely to report improved feelings of well-being, even if their overall happiness score remained below the national average.
In contrast, people in the 35-to-44 and 45-to-54 age brackets were more likely to report their happiness had deteriorated.
“There is a sense of well-being emerging among younger age groups,” the summary read. “However, this also highlights the importance of supporting adults in mid-life, who are more vulnerable to the pressures of working life.”
Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador were the three provinces with happiness levels above the national average of 68.7. They were followed, in descending order, by Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba and P.E.I. The territories were not included in the survey.
In the survey of the 10 largest cities, Mississauga and Montreal finished ahead of Hamilton, Calgary, Brampton, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto, in that order.
Women reported slightly higher happiness levels than men, at 69.4 versus 68.0.
Leger says the overall results confirm “a level of happiness that is relatively high but stagnant or even slightly down compared to the pre-pandemic period.”
To get the results, Leger surveyed 39,841 Canadians aged 18 and up between March 31 and April 13.
Online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Ontario Provincial Police are set to host a town hall in Quadeville, Ont., this evening to answer questions from residents about an attack on an eight-year-old child that was initially linked to an animal.
Police have arrested a 17-year-old boy in the case and he faces charges of attempted murder and sexual assault with a weapon.
Members of the small community 170 kilometres west of Ottawa say they were in shock after hearing about the arrest and hope to get clarity at today’s event in the town’s community centre.
Local resident Christine Hudder says she wants to know how police came up with the animal attack theory and why families were told for days to keep their children indoors.
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The victim was found with life-threatening injuries on June 24 after she was reported missing, and remains in hospital.
Police say they are planning to give as much information as possible to locals given that an investigation is still underway.
A Burlington, Ont., mother was unsettled to discover that an old photo of her children had been used in a fraudulent GoFundMe that attempted to elicit donations in connection the recent Texas floods.
Julie Cole told Global News that a friend had contacted her on social media to say that an old photo of her six children was being used in an attempt to collect ill-gotten gains.
“She reached out to me and she was like, ‘Hey, here’s a link to a GoFundMe. Sorry this has happened to you, but obviously a picture of your kids has been used without your consent and it’s being used for a GoFundMe to raise money, to help a family dealing with the Texas floods,’” she said.
Cole explained that the fake GoFundMe, which has since been removed by the company, was looking for donations to support a widowed mother of six kids in connection.
At least 120 people have died while more than 100 others remain unaccounted for as a result of the flooding, including 27 children and councilors from Camp Mystic.
“They were trying to raise $40,000 because of the three daughters had been victims of the Texas floods,” Cole said. “And the way it was presented felt very much like they were part of maybe that girl’s camp.”
Julie Cole told Global News that a friend had contacted her on social media to make that an old photo of her six children was being used in an attempt to collect ill-gotten gains.
Provided
Cole said once the listing was sent to her, she immediately contacted GoFundMe to get the fundraiser taken down.
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By Wednesday morning, the company had done so and in a statement to Global News, GoFundMe said that the fundraiser did not receive any donations and the account has been banned from creating any further fundraisers on the platform.
“GoFundMe has the most robust donor protection processes of any platform of our kind. We have round the clock trust and safety support, humans and technology making sure funds will get to where they are intended,” the statement offered.
After contacting the company, Cole said she shared the incident on her social media pages to raise awareness.
“So I did put it on my Facebook and I put it in my LinkedIn as like a heads-up learning experience kind of thing and there was a lot of outrage,” she said.
Cole also noted that while she is disappointed by the incident, she is well aware that her troubles are miniscule in comparison to those affected by the flooding.
“I do feel a little bit in myself that what I’m feeling is in no way comparable to what the actual families are feeling who have gone through the tragedies of the flooding,” she said.
The photo came from an old blog post she had written 16 years ago. Cole can date the picture as the baby in the photo is now getting ready to go for his driver’s test.
“I’m one of those, like, OG mommy bloggers from 20 years ago. So my kids have been on the internet. They have been sort of in the public eye,” she explained.
“And I know the risk is out there. And I think parents need to remember that, that their kids’ photos can be just screenshotted and used without consent. So there’s one lesson.
“I felt a little, well, very unsettled about it, particularly because of what it was being used for.”
In addition to being a parenting blogger, she also helped found Mabel’s Labels, which offers washable labels for kids clothing and other school items, in an effort to keep them out of the lost and found.
Julie Cole and her six kids in 2025.
Provided
Being a spokesperson for the company while raising six kids keeps her in the parenting sphere and she offered some other advice to parents about the images and social media.
“I think parents just have to be mindful and aware that once it’s out there, you know you’d like to think you’ll get consent or you’ll give consent if somebody asks or they want to use it, but people will just take it and they can just take,” she said.
“You have to be especially careful now with AI, because these photos can be altered.”
She also warned parents to check with their kids as they get older to see if they are OK with pics being posted and that people should be mindful of where they are sharing their donations.
“Another lesson out of this is people need to really be cautious and know where they’re putting their fundraising dollars,” Cole said.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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