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Ontario Launches First Road Work Toward Ring of Fire With $62 Million Geraldton Upgrade

The Geraldton rebuild becomes the first Bill 5–approved step, with legal, environmental, Indigenous challenges still unresolved.

Overview

  • Ontario will tender the Geraldton contract soon with a goal of starting construction in the spring, officials said.
  • The $61.8 million Main Street upgrade in Geraldton is designed to carry sustained mining truck traffic and link Highway 11 to Highway 584.
  • Planned connections include three proposed all‑season roads still under environmental assessment to tie Webequie and Marten Falls to the provincial network and mining areas.
  • First Nations and environmental groups oppose the fast‑track powers in Bill 5, and nine nations have filed a constitutional challenge targeting Ontario’s law and federal Bill C‑5.
  • Support is not uniform, with Webequie’s chief welcoming future opportunities as critics warn of risks to peatlands and the Attawapiskat River if work advances before full assessments and consultation.