66
67
CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - JULY 2014
T
HI S MONTH C IO
is pleased to
share commentary from Minis-
ter Michael Gravelle, who discusses
the importance of Northern Ontario’s
economy to Ontario’s overall economic
health, and the health of Northern
Ontario communities.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT:
BUILDING NORTHERN ONTARIO UP
For Northern Ontario to realize
its full potential both people and prod-
ucts must be able to move quickly and
easily within and outside of Northern
Ontario. That is why a large part of
this government’s economic plan for
the North is an historic investment in
modern infrastructure. Our govern-
ment is investing more than $130 bil-
lion over the next ten years in public
infrastructure. For the North, this
means not just considerable invest-
ments in hospitals and schools but also
in transportation infrastructure. The
Northern Highways Program will see
our continued support in the coming
years. For instance, in 2013-14 alone,
nearly $475 million was invested to
build roads, highways and bridges
across the North, including the expan-
sion of Highways 69 and 11/17. This is
just one example of how we are mak-
ing it easier for both people and prod-
ucts to move within and outside of the
North. This year’s budget will build
upon this momentum. We are creat-
ing a $14 billion dedicated transit and
transportation fund for communities
outside of the Greater Toronto Ham-
ilton Area, many of them being in the
North. Not to mention our commit-
ment of $1 billion to strategic transpor-
tation infrastructure for Ring of Fire
development. Our government under-
stands how vital infrastructure is for
both Northern businesses and commu-
nities and that is why we are making
these strategic investments.
MINING: ONTARIO’S INDUSTRIAL
FORCE
Ontario is a global mining leader.
We are the leading Canadian jurisdic-
tion for both exploration and mineral
production and continue to be a major
player across the world. We have seen
tremendous growth in this important
sector over the past decade. For in-
stance, in 2003, Ontario’s exploration
expenditures were $193 million. Last
year, we reached over the $600 million
mark, more than tripling exploration
in just ten years. In 2003, mineral pro-
duction was valued at $5.7 billion. Ten
years later, Ontario’s mineral produc-
tion now reached over $9.8 billion. In
this same period, 24 new mines have
opened, that’s more than anywhere
else in Canada. These dramatic in-
creases in the mining sector have had a
direct impact on employment. In 2013,
the total number of direct jobs in min-
eral production reached 26,000. That is
not including an additional 50,000 jobs
associated with the manufacturing and
processing of mineral products in this
province. Our government is commit-
ted to continue supporting this eco-
nomically important industry so that
we remain the Canadian leader.
MINISTER OF NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT AND MINES
