A project that will help bring critical infrastructure, including high-speed internet, to the Ring of Fire region in Ontario moved forward another step Thursday with the submission by two area First Nations of terms for a proposed road and connection to Ontario’s highway network.
Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations are doing planning for the road, which is expected to bring critical road infrastructure needed to ensure reliable, all season road access to potential mining sites in the Ring of Fire. It will also help bring — as part of a nearly billion-dollar critical infrastructure investment from the province — high-speed internet to the region 400 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.
The Ontario government committed years ago to invest $30 million in the Matawa broadband project to get stable telecommunications for far north First Nations communities in the region. In 2017, Innovation Canada announced a $37.1 million investment in Rapid Lynx Telecommunications to install 880 kilometres of new fiber optic cable to some communities in the Ring of Fire region.
Screenshot of the Thursday announcement via CHCH News.
