PDAC: Ontario’s Ford backs miners, bashes tariffs

Ontario Premier Doug Ford repeated funding pledges for mining, scolded the federal government for time-consuming environmental OKs and vowed to fight potential U.S. tariffs on Tuesday dollar for dollar and “to the death.”

Ford, who gained nationwide prominence with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau due to resign this month, capitalized on his provincial re-election win Feb. 27 to declare Monday that he has a mandate to push for changes in mining rules as well as fight any U.S. tariffs.

“We also propose designating regions where critical minerals are present or likely to be present, including the Ring of Fire, as regions of strategic importance for our economy and security,” he told the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada annual convention in Toronto.

“This would trigger accelerated approvals, including automatic approvals for trusted project proponents on early works. It would increase certainty around timelines and help First Nations participate in the process.”

Watch a video clip of Ontario Premier Doug Ford at PDAC: https://vimeo.com/1062214775?share=copy#t=0

A new Ontario $500-million critical minerals processing fund, first announced Feb. 23, aims to accelerate development projects for turning ore into metals by attracting large investors. It’s part of the West’s strategy to reduce China’s control of most refining such as copper, nickel and lithium where it has more than half the market as well near total dominance in lithium and rare earth elements used in electric vehicles, according to Wood Mackenzie.

‘Ripped and shipped’

“We have the critical minerals the world needs and the world-class workforce to get them out of the ground, but we don’t want to see those minerals ripped and shipped overseas or south of the border to be processed,” the premier said. “We want Ontario’s critical minerals to be processed and refined right here by Ontario workers in Ontario.”

Ford’s Progressive Conservative party also said last month it would triple loan guarantees for First Nations to $3 billion and add $70 million to an Aboriginal skills program. Legislation will have to wait until at least March 17 when the cabinet can reconvene in the legislature, Ford said. He urged Ottawa to “get out of the way” when it comes to approving mining projects.

“I’ll be making it clear to the federal government that the time for the redundant, wrongheaded impact assessment requirements is over,” Ford said. “They’re done. We cannot afford to add years and years of delays, massive costs to critical mental projects so that the federal government can waste time repeating and replicating assessments that Ontario has already done.”

Trump tanks markets

Minutes after Ford spoke, U.S. President Donald Trump repeated his threat to impose wide-ranging tariffs on Canada, sending stock markets sharply lower. Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 1.54% or 391.88 points to close at 25,001.57 on Monday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.47% or 649.67 points to 43,191.24.

Ford has already promised to cancel a $100-million contract with Elon Musk-owned Starlink and sweep all American-produced alcohol of the shelves of the province-run liquor stores, the world’s largest wine and spirits buyer.

“You know, for the President, I’m a different type of cat,” Ford said earlier in the day. “I’ll fight tooth and nail. I’m not going to roll over and get annihilated. I’ll fight right to the death. Not that there’s going to be any deaths, but, you know, the economy, I will go out there. He has no idea. He has absolutely no idea.”