I’m pleased to rise in this Legislature today in support of the Building More Mines Act, Bill 71. The Minister of Mines and his parliamentary assistant have done, in my opinion, an outstanding job driving this much-needed legislation forward.

Ontario’s mineral exploration and mining sector generates almost $13 billion in annual GDP—no small number—and significant opportunities for this province, especially for northern and Indigenous communities. Our mining sector has world-class environmental, health and safety and Indigenous consultation standards, and they are being followed.

Our government’s mining mandate includes executing the Critical Minerals Strategy, developing the Ring of Fire and making Ontario the best jurisdiction for mining. These objectives will help us build an integrated supply chain from critical minerals production in the north to battery and EV manufacturing in the south—and it’s that that I want to speak a little bit about this morning.

Speaker, with the recent Volkswagen announcement to invest in Ontario, and specifically St. Thomas and Elgin county, it is absolutely crucial that our critical minerals located in northern Ontario are part of the future electric vehicle battery production in Ontario. This downstream integration complements both Stellantis and Volkswagen’s production facilities in southwestern Ontario. This is Canada’s proven region of automobile manufacturing excellence, with decades of notable achievements. Instead of exporting our critical minerals abroad, Ontario will be adding value to these natural resources while creating new, better and sustainable jobs for all Ontarians. Indigenous communities, skilled trade workers and new Canadians will have the opportunity to be pioneers in the EV revolution sweeping the entire world. Greener energy and renewable energy—yes, these critical minerals are renewable, recyclable and were key factors in Volkswagen’s consideration before choosing Ontario for their mega manufacturing facility.

From Ontario’s north to Ontario’s southwest, this government is boldly building new frontiers to develop our province’s economy. This is why we need to develop future mining industry opportunities. And the Building More Mines Act is doing just that. It cannot take 15 years to permit a mine if we’re going to accomplish our government’s objectives in the mining sector and, indeed, our economy. Unclear processes, inflexible, burdensome requirements and ambiguous discretionary decision-making processes have been and are holding us back. This will change with this bill. This has resulted in project delays and cost overruns, costing Ontario massive opportunities—and competition from other provinces in this country. The economic impacts of the mining industry are immense, and we cannot afford to lose this vast source of revenue that can help us fund much-needed provincial services throughout Ontario. We must take action now to address these challenges and attract more strategic investments in this province.

Speaker, ever since I moved to southwestern Ontario, a long time ago, in 1986—even the member from Sarnia would remember those days—I’ve witnessed year after year, decade after decade, the loss of key jobs in the automotive sector. It was truly painful to witness and experience. As time marched on, it was widely considered that our best days were behind us with regard to building automobiles and the components that make them up. Head offices left London. Key companies like Ford closed and abandoned the St. Thomas and Elgin county site. Good people and good families lost their livelihoods. We became a high-cost province that simply lost its competitive edge on the North American stage.

It was said by previous Liberal governments that the time had come in Ontario to focus on the service sector, not the manufacturing sector, because we could not compete—or, plainly spoken, we would not be able to employ key workers at the wages they’d learned to live with and had earned honestly. When a pall of negativity shrouds the thinking of entrepreneurs and investors in our communities, little investment will occur. Nobody will invest in a climate of negativity. With negativity, capital expansion is curtailed and people get laid off. It was a painful few decades as the erosion of investment, jobs and productivity left London and surrounding communities.

Speaker, part of the reason I chose to seek a seat in this Legislature was to make a difference by using the skills I had developed in a career of business and commerce.

Leadership, experience and common sense matter, and, in a very small way, I am thrilled to have been part of the historic announcement by Volkswagen to locate in my riding of Elgin–Middlesex–London. Our government and collective stakeholders decided negativity could no longer win. Together, we took a bias for action, and, with a sense of urgency, we faced adversity head-on; we changed the playing field to the environment of “can do” and “we shall prevail.” This historic investment will have a generational impact in Elgin–Middlesex–London and, indeed, southwestern Ontario. The same generational impact was created when the Ford Motor Co. moved to Talbotville in 1967.

However, to attract key companies like Volkswagen and others, Ontario needed to create and has created an environment for business to invest and workers to earn great wages. Part of the environment of success we needed to create was cost reduction. Company after company told this province again and again, “If you want us here, lower the cost of doing business.” Premier Ford and this government listened, and to date, since 2018, we have eliminated $8 billion of waste and bureaucratic red tape, paving the way for innovation and success.

As Ontario competed against 90 jurisdictions globally and 40 US states for the Volkswagen investment, Premier Ford and Minister Fedeli sharpened their pencils and went to work. With tremendous collaborations from the municipalities of St. Thomas, Elgin county and London, along with the federal government, thankfully, we won the day. Key factors in Volkswagen’s decision were access to proven labour, skilled trades and clean energy. But first and foremost, we needed a cost-competitive playing field, which was our ante into the global competition.

Another factor, if not the deciding factor, in the Volkswagen announcement was Ontario’s abundant natural resource of critical minerals in northern Ontario. The magic and the wonder of this deal really begins in northern Ontario. Having the critical resources and being able to mine them competitively and transport them to southwestern Ontario is really the mortar that helped cement the Volkswagen deal.

Working with all stakeholders, including First Nations communities, mining companies and the Ontario Mining Association, has been fruitful.

As part of the Legislature’s Standing Committee on the Interior, I was happy to attend our recent trip to the north to listen and learn from recent submissions.

Bill 71, once again, helps create the environment for downstream integration to occur. Turning critical minerals into added-value EV battery components makes my heart sing. It is exactly what this country has dreamed of since Confederation. No longer are we just a nation gifted with only natural resources; we are a nation and a province that can once again compete globally in the automotive manufacturing sector.

It’s not an easy task to find veins of minerals that will be applicable to our long-term vision of EV production in Ontario. For example, the Ontario Mining Association stated:

“Although the addition of even one mine can bring substantial benefits to society, the wins do not come quickly or easily. It takes a great deal of will, effort and time to discover a viable ore deposit and bring it into production.

“There is no way of predicting where profitable ore deposits will be found. Each prospector and investor may fervently hope for the next ‘big find’, but only one in 10 mineral exploration projects are taken to the drill stage, and one in 1,000 drill programs unearth viable mineral deposits; ultimately, less than one in 10,000 projects become mines.”

It’s a daunting task indeed.

Instead of exporting our natural resources, we are transforming them into jobs for the people of Ontario—once again, good-paying, sustainable jobs with benefits, pensions and security.

The changes this bill will help bring about include improving closure planning, which will provide companies with more operational flexibility, allow site development to happen much faster, rely on the certifications of qualified professionals as technical experts, phase financial assurance to save companies money, and reduce the amounts of amendments—important.

The changes to this Mining Act will also improve decision-making by reducing discretionary decisions and ambiguity, provide more opportunities for political oversight for projects that are a priority for the government, clarify the decision-making process for mining companies, allow for alternative rehabilitation measures and operational flexibility—which I learned a great deal about when we were up north.

The changes will also enhance critical minerals by allowing the recovery of minerals from tailings and mine waste—again, talked about extensively when we were in the north—and promote the redevelopment of legacy mine sites to reduce financial liability for this province.

There is a tremendous urgency for us to permit and build mines more efficiently in this province. This will maximize the effectiveness of our Critical Minerals Strategy and support the end-to-end supply chain from mines to manufacturing. It will also build on the success of Ontario’s mining sector and create economic opportunities throughout the province.

Speaker, it must be made abundantly clear: These changes will not compromise our world-class environmental, labour or Indigenous consultation standards. This mining legislation is about improving ministry processes and saving companies time and money.

This can be seen in our government’s strong partnerships with the Webequie First Nation and Marten Falls First Nation that have led to real results. The two communities are already working on environmental assessments for their community road projects and have submitted the terms of reference for the Northern Road Link environmental assessment to Ontario for review.

Our government is investing $1 billion in these road projects and other infrastructure needs including broadband and community supports. These three projects would connect the two First Nations to the highway network and to the Ring of Fire. These roads would improve food security, housing conditions and access to health and education services for these communities, as well as unlock the nationally significant critical mineral deposits in the Ring of Fire.

The Ring of Fire has the critical minerals we need for the EV manufacturing revolution to take place in Ontario, and it is taking place. That is why our government, again, is investing $1 billion to make these road projects a reality.

The Ring of Fire isn’t just about mining. It’s about infrastructure corridors, it’s about energy corridors, it’s about broadband and other projects that will bring prosperity to this entire region.

There are 33 minerals in Ontario’s critical minerals list including nickel, cobalt and lithium. Ontario produces approximately two fifths of Canada’s gold production, one third of Canada’s nickel production, one quarter of Canada’s copper production and two thirds of Canada’s platinum group metals production.

There are currently 36 active mining operations in Ontario, the majority of which are in northern Ontario. Again, we learned details of this while we were travelling the north. There are more new mine construction projects and mine expansions under way as we speak.

This legislation will, if passed, attract more investment and secure critical minerals that support the made-in-Ontario supply chain for new technologies like batteries and electric vehicles.

I think it has been said throughout this debate, and I agree totally: It should not take 15 years to issue a mining permit. The process to open and close a mine is too time-consuming and costly, leading to project delays, lost opportunities for Ontario mineral exploration and the entire mining sector.

At a time when Ontario is securing game-changing investments in its growing automotive manufacturing sector, these changes would benefit the entire minerals sector and advance Ontario’s plan to build an integrated supply chain by connecting mineral producers in the north along with those in the Ring of Fire with the manufacturing sector in the south—again, the north and the south coming together to create wonderful synergies and wonderful opportunities for all Ontario.

Our government knows that the world wants Ontario’s critical minerals. We are the first government to pave the way for this exciting sector by investing in exploration and innovation through our Critical Minerals Strategy and cutting unnecessary government red tape so that companies can build more mines. We talked about that earlier—$8 billion to reduce the cost of business—and that includes opportunities in the north.

The modifications to the Mining Act would increase certainty for business planning and generate investment in northern Ontario to provide significant economic development opportunities for northern and Indigenous communities. We are engaging with industry, Indigenous communities and Indigenous organizations on the proposed changes to the Mining Act and consulting on future regulatory changes. Those discussions are taking place now.

There are no proposed changes to our world-class environmental protections. This is about improving how the Ministry of Mines operates and finding efficiencies. Modernizing the Mining Act is crucial to support our transition to a green economy.

Moving back to southwestern Ontario for a minute: The Volkswagen site in St. Thomas will create 3,000 new jobs once the multiple facilities are up and operating by 2027—fantastic news that I think many of us share in this House. However, an impressive 30,000 tertiary or spinoff jobs will also be created, not only in southwestern Ontario but throughout the entire province, including northern Ontario. This includes thousands of jobs in the mining sector and in the Ring of Fire. I am very pleased that northern Ontario has a seat at the table, enjoying part of the downstream integration and the benefits from this historic EV announcement that was made.

Allow me to share a quote from my esteemed colleague the member for Essex and parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Mines that I believe captures the essence of how this bill supports Ontario’s vision of economic prosperity:

“And that’s also what this legislation is about. It’s about getting the critical minerals we need to make a greener Ontario. The minerals that we mine in the north are going to stay right here in Ontario. The day of ‘dig it and ship it’ is over. We are not going to ‘dig it and ship it’ anymore!

“We are going to mine these critical minerals right here in Ontario. Then we are going to process them right here in Ontario. And then we are going to build electric batteries right here in Ontario. And then those batteries are going to go into vehicles that we build right here in Ontario.

“It will be a perfect domestic supply chain from start to finish, Speaker. Mine it, process it, and build it right here in Ontario, it will mean more jobs for people in Ontario. Good jobs. Meaningful jobs. Jobs with good pay, and a pension, and benefits.”

Speaker, the member from Essex captures the significance of this bill, I think, wonderfully.

Again, moving back to southwestern Ontario, I want to emphasize that I think it’s key, it’s paramount that we explore every opportunity to bring cost reduction in how we do business, because without being competitive we don’t get to advance. I think the Minister of Mines would agree—in his business career—that if you’re not competitive, you don’t get a chance to have an ante in the game. It starts there.

I think when we take a look at the opportunity in northern Ontario, with consultations, duty to consult, working with all communities, we’re doing that, and I think this leads to one of the most historic announcements and opportunities that this government has ever seen, this province has ever seen, and this country has ever seen. That is why our government, under the leadership of the Minister of Mines as well as the Premier, is proposing changes to this Mining Act.

I want to come back to my years in London and southwestern Ontario. All those years—I think members opposite who live in London and community would agree—we saw a lot of good jobs being gone, and it was sad. It was almost like you felt helpless—“What can we do to prevent this?”

Now, respectfully, we’ve been bringing industry back. The agri-food sector has been doing a great job, and they will continue to do a great job. This is historic. We’re back in the automotive business—and again, I want to come back to, thanks to the north, thanks to that opportunity. It’s downstream integration, and it works magically. It’s the real Canadian dream, the real Canadian opportunity.

To wrap up, Speaker: Bill 71 sets the stage for transformative, innovative and exciting economic development, not only in Canada, but in Ontario. Canada wins, Ontario wins, and northern Ontario communities win. Finally, and most importantly, the Ontario workers of this great province will win the day.

Thank you to the member from London North Centre for his question.

We can differ, with a lot of reasons, on this legislation, and obviously that’s our job—to debate and have healthy discussion, which I think we’ve been doing.

I always come back to the reality, and the reality is, this is a game-changer. We’re going to create 33,000-plus jobs.

The Minister of Economic Development has been travelling, talking to numerous other companies that are interested in coming to our region to set up shop, and that is going to, again, add to the opportunity.

I can tell you other communities within our ridings are also looking at strategic investments, changing how they can do business, attracting these investments.

I can say my answer is going to consistently be “33,000-plus jobs.”

We’re going to do it right. The duty to consult—making sure we speed up this process and do it right as we speed it up is the commitment I know the minister has, the parliamentary assistant has and the Premier has. We will continue to communicate, to collaborate, to listen and learn—but again, 33,000 jobs.

From my world, this being my first year in public service—doing a lot of business in southwestern Ontario, I might add—it was pretty easy to hire people in the late 1980s and 1990s and through the beginning of the century, because there were a lot of unemployed workers. At our feed plants, at our offices, it was easy to find workers. It’s not so easy today.

I always maintain that the best social program we can have is a good job—not just a gig job, but a job that has benefits and has a pension. That’s what this investment is bringing—not only for southwestern Ontario; it’s going to happen in northern Ontario, too.

I would say a rising tide lifts all boats. The rising tide here is strong economic investment, and the boats lifted up are going to be the people working, sailing magnificently throughout this great province.

Again, I always use the analogy of the proof is in the pudding. People are investing, people are calling, people are knocking on doors. Throughout this, when everyone was wondering what the investment was going to be in Elgin–Middlesex–London or St. Thomas, specifically, I always said, “Just listen. Wait until the proof is in the pudding.” When people invest $7 billion, and you’re going to see a five-year return, and you’re going to see 33,000 jobs, and you’re going to see economic prosperity, I say that’s a pretty good deal—and again, that’s not only southwestern Ontario; it’s throughout this entire province, including northern Ontario.

I think it does a few things. Number one, it takes advantage of a natural resource that is renewable and recyclable. We can take these critical components and put them into batteries and then again create future batteries after they’ve been recycled. That’s a wonderful opportunity for northern Ontario.

It’s going to create jobs. Again, I’m assuming the member from Thunder Bay–Atikokan likes the idea of a lot of jobs in his riding and in his community, having been the mayor for, I think, 30 or 40 years, or 50 or 60 years—whatever it was, it was a long time that he was mayor of Thunder Bay. Economic prosperity is key to northern Ontario. I know that’s why he ran. That’s why I ran. And that’s why we’re proud of this historic announcement. It’s generational in nature, and that generational change and economic prosperity will benefit people in his riding and throughout northern Ontario.

Let me point out that two million vehicles have been taken off the road with the environmental actions of this province. It is a green economy. We are working hard. We are working strong. This is going to enhance that, and the changes within the provisions of this act, including remediation, enhance that.

I don’t think it’s going to stall any investment. It’s not going to put any tax burden on any Canadian. In fact, it will lower taxes. It will lower the burden. It will create income. It will put money in people’s pockets to enjoy a higher and more prosperous standard of living.

I appreciate the member opposite’s thoughts and views. We shared some time together when we were in the north. I took that time to listen and learn about his concerns, and I respect them.

That being said, my question is simple: Should it take 15 years to open a mine in this province? In the meantime, while we’re waiting 15 years, we’re losing jobs, not only in southwestern Ontario but in the north—good-paying jobs, sustainable jobs that could benefit your peoples, the economy of the north, everyone.