By Abdul Matin Sarfraz / Canada’s National Observer / Local Journalism Initiative Despite pushback from First Nations and environmental advocates, the Ford government is moving ahead with the first segment of a road network to Ontario’s mineral-rich Ring of Fire. The $61.8 million upgrade to Geraldton’s Main Street project will connect Highway 11 to Highway 584 in Greenstone and is billed as the “gateway” to the Ring of Fire, about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay. The road is the first Ring of Fire project to be approved under Premier Doug Ford’s controversial Bill 5, which aims to fast track projects by creating “special economic zones” exempt from environmental rules and planning laws. The province says it is a critical step toward unlocking the region’s nickel, copper, platinum and chromite…
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