Ontario has broken ground on the 107-km Webequie Supply Road, marking the start of construction on the first all-season road into the Ring of Fire region and accelerating the province’s critical minerals development plans by several years.
The road, led by Webequie First Nation, will connect the remote community to the Ring of Fire and is now scheduled to open by November 2030 — four years ahead of the original timeline. The province said the project is part of a broader plan to build more than 500 km of all-season roads supporting future mining activity in Northern Ontario.
For the trucking and construction sectors, the project represents years of heavy civil work and future freight demand tied to critical minerals development, the province announced June 25. Construction of the Webequie Supply Road alone will include 31 water crossings, including six bridges and 25 culverts, as well as aggregate sites and a maintenance facility.
Premier Doug Ford said the Ring of Fire represents a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to create 70,000 jobs and add an estimated $22 billion to Ontario’s economy over the next three decades.
“Ontario’s Ring of Fire is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create 70,000 good-paying jobs, access the critical minerals the world wants to buy, add $22 billion to our provincial economy and help Northern Ontario reach its full economic potential,” Ford said in a release.
The road is expected to improve year-round access to goods, services and healthcare for Webequie First Nation while supporting future mineral development and Indigenous-led economic opportunities.
The province also outlined an accelerated construction schedule for the broader Ring of Fire road network. Construction of the Marten Falls Community Access Road is expected to begin in August, with completion targeted for November 2031. Upgrades to the Anaconda and Painter Lake roads are scheduled for completion by November 2030, while construction of the Northern Road Link is slated to begin in spring 2028 with completion by November 2031.
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