Premier Ford's James Bay deep-sea port plan faces backlash over feasibility, lack of Indigenous input

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is seeking Prime Minister Mark Carney's support for his thought to physique a deep-sea larboard connected James Bay, but critics reason the connection is unrealistic and are condemning the deficiency of Indigenous consultation.

At a gathering successful March, Carney asked premiers to place "nation-building projects."  In May, Ford penned a missive to Carney, outlining the projects helium wants the national authorities to prioritize and believes would beryllium "transformational for Canada's economy."

As good arsenic a caller deep-sea port, those task ideas include accessing captious minerals successful the Ring of Fire successful bluish Ontario, creating new atomic powerfulness plants, expanding the GO Transit Network and processing a passageway nether Highway 401 done Toronto.

Sudbury New Democrat MPP Jamie West said helium believes the deep-sea larboard task is tied to the extraction of captious minerals successful the Ring of Fire, which is astir 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

"The thought would beryllium that it's cheaper to transport goods done the seaport than it would beryllium to transport by obstruction oregon by road. And truthful I deliberation that's that opportunity," West said. 

He explained that successful the 1950s, determination was a telephone for a survey of a imaginable seaport successful the bluish Ontario assemblage of Moosonee, but the thought remained dormant until Ford precocious revived the concept. 

'Out of nowhere'

Similar to the different proposals connected Ford's national privation list, West said not overmuch is known astir the deep-sea larboard project. 

"This is benignant of similar however the passageway nether the 401 conscionable benignant of showed up retired of nowhere," helium said. "In presumption of moving guardant and spending wealth to fortify Canada, you request much than an idea."

Prior to asking for national funding, West said, the state should person conducted a feasibility survey to find the project's viability and outline methods to mitigate biology impacts during development. 

"A seaport we cognize is not practical, and [the province] should cognize that," says Lawrence Martin, manager of lands and resources for the Mushkegowuk Council, which represents 7 First Nations successful bluish Ontario. 

Martin said helium feels the connection for the larboard was "just thrown retired there."

He said recent onshore and h2o studies, portion of an ongoing effort to designate the James Bay seashore a nationalist marine conservation area, beryllium a deep-sea larboard is not feasible owed to insufficient h2o depth. 

"We've been capable to find done the studies that the h2o is not determination for a seaport." 

Despite utilizing an implicit 19-metre-long (64-foot) vas with a comparatively shallow four-metre (12-foot) draft, the vessel was incapable to attack the enactment adjacent Moose Factory for an lawsuit and had to beryllium anchored 20 kilometres offshore. 

He said smaller boats had to beryllium utilized successful bid to transport radical to shore.

"From my perspective, it doesn't marque consciousness geography wise," Martin said.

Climate alteration is different information erstwhile it comes to any deep-sea larboard project, arsenic h2o levels recede and the onshore rises, according to Martin.

"For the authorities to travel and say, 'We privation to physique a seaport here,' good bully luck — you definite don't person capable water." 

Building a larboard successful the country would necessitate dredging to marque the stream deeper, which would pb to biology repercussions, said Martin. 

When asked for details connected the projected determination of the port, the premier's bureau said successful an email, "We are successful the aboriginal stages of the connection and volition person much to accidental astatine a aboriginal time."

As of precocious Tuesday afternoon, the Prime Minister's Office had not responded to CBC's petition for comment.

Ford proposals pursuing passing of arguable bill

Ford's missive of proposals to Carney was followed by the passing of Bill 5, known arsenic the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act. This arguable authorities allows the state to found peculiar economical zones where circumstantial companies oregon projects tin beryllium exempt from provincial laws, regulations and municipal bylaws.

The premier has pitched Bill 5 arsenic a mode of bolstering Ontario's system successful the look of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, by speeding up large infrastructure and assets projects.

But West said helium believes Bill 5 volition really pb to a hold successful improvement of projects connected First Nation territory owed to the lack of Indigenous consultation. 

"The occupation with Bill 5 is the aforesaid occupation since 2018 erstwhile Doug Ford was elected — determination isn't immoderate consultation with First Nations," West said, pointing to past comments from the premier astir gathering a roadworthy to the Ring of Fire. 

At a quality league past week, Ford said he's consenting to springiness First Nations what they privation for their enactment successful processing mines, but they cannot "keep coming chapeau successful manus each the clip to the government" for much money.

The premier apologized for his remarks the pursuing day. 

"He conscionable disconnected the cuff talked astir his opinions of what First Nations mean successful bluish Ontario, and it's insulting… that isn't however you bash business," West said. 

"Mining companies, extraction companies, who are trying caller business, who are trying to physique relationships and person the consent and consultation, the premier of our state keeps mounting backmost those relationships and frustrating the anticipation of the occurrence going forward."

Martin believes the state needs to prosecute with First Nation communities astir infrastructure projects successful bid to see them successful discussions, supply opportunities to stock applicable section knowledge and guarantee improvement does not disrupt oregon harm delicate biology areas.

"Nobody's truly travel guardant to person a treatment with anybody, with Mushkegowuk Council, oregon adjacent the chiefs and councils successful the communities. Nobody from the state oregon from Canada has travel guardant with it," helium said.  

"They've lone been seemingly talking amongst themselves astir the idea."

Moose Cree First Nation Chief Peter Wesley said the assemblage had been feeling their narration with the state was "on a bully path" until they saw the passing of Bill 5, and are present proceeding with caution.

He emphasized simply declaring a task volition hap is not an acceptable mode to enactment with Indigenous communities, and it goes against the tone of collaborative and respectful task development.

"For idiosyncratic to effort to bash thing from down south, who's ne'er been northbound of Barrie, for example. How tin you truly recognize the dynamics of the territory that we unrecorded in, the method strategy that we unrecorded in?" 

Wesley highlighted a palmy past collaboration with Agnico Eagle, a Canadian golden mining company, successful which they worked unneurotic to guarantee each parties were satisfied with the project. 

Vic Fedeli, Ontario's curate of economical Development, occupation instauration and trade, did not respond to requests for comment. 

'Work with america alternatively of against us'

Moosonee Mayor Wayne Taipale said the town's assemblage has besides been near retired of immoderate discussions surrounding the imaginable port. 

"I'm disappointed that we're not astatine the table," Taipale said. "We are the hub for the full James Bay and Hudson Bay area, and we look to beryllium the past to cognize of anything." 

Taipale besides thinks the larboard connection is tied to the mining of the Ring of Fire, thing helium said he's neither for nor against arsenic agelong arsenic there's due consultation with First Nations and neighbouring communities.

"I judge there's different option, and I've ever said that, is to physique a railway from the Ring of Fire to Attawapiskat to Moosonee." 

He feels that a railway, owned by First Nations successful the region, would beryllium much profitable and little damaging to the environment. 

"There has to beryllium consultation with each First Nations successful the country and determination has to beryllium consultation with the Town of Moosonee arsenic well. And if they are going done the backmost door, it's going to beryllium hard to get thing moving forward," Taipale said. "Work with us instead of against us."