Ontario to fasttrack approvals for Kinross' Red Lake mine project

Skip to content Home Local Business Ontario to fasttrack approvals for Kinross' Red Lake mine project Great Bear project poised to be 500,000-ounce producer and transformational development Ian Ross | Northern Ontario Business Feb 17, 2026 3:14 PM Share by Email Share on SPACES Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Drill core from Great Bear Project (Kinross Gold) Listen to this article 00:06:15 Kinross Gold’s Great Bear project, outside Red Lake, is the third mine proposal to be designated under the province’s One Project, One Process (1P1P) framework. The combination open-pit and underground mine development proposal in northwestern Ontario has been placed on the regulatory fast-track by the Ford government. Located 24 kilometres southeast of the legendary northwestern Ontario gold mining town of Red Lake, Great Bear represents a $5-billion investment by the Toronto gold company and is expected to have a transformational impact in the regional economy. Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce made the announcement that Great Bear is entering the 1P1P portal at a news conference at the NORCAT training facility in Mississauga, Feb. 17. Heading into next month’s PDAC mining show in Toronto, Lecce felt Ontario had to demonstrate to the world that it has a “regulatory process that moves,” alluding to the 1P1P framework unveiled by the minister last October. Great Bear follows in the 1P1P portal on the heels of Frontier Lithium’s PAK project, far north of Red Lake, first designated last October, and Canada Nickel’s giant Crawford project, north of Timmins. Crawford is also one of 11 federally designated ‘nation-building’ projects selected by the Carney government for fasttracked regulatory approvals through the federal Major Projects Office. 1P1P is part of the Ford government’s larger red tape-cutting agenda with its promise to cut government permitting and approval times by 50 per cent. A dedicated delivery team has been established under the mines ministry to review projects, instead of a siloed ministry approach that’s been blamed for bogging down mineral development in Ontario for decades. Great Bear is poised to be a massive operation, one of Canada’s largest gold producers, at 518,000 ounces a year at its peak and more than 5 million ounces over its initial 12-year mine life. There will be direct employment for more than 1,000 and spinoff employment opportunities for thousands more. MineConnect executive director Marla Tremblay said faster mine approval times inspire confidence and bring certainty for her member service companies across Ontario, spurring them to hire people, buy equipment, expand their businesses and borrow money. The demand for labour stems the population exodus from the North and keeps communities intact, she said. “It makes a really big difference.” According to Kinross’ timelines, construction is tentatively slated to began in 2027. First gold production is expected by 2029, pending government permits. Kinross president Geoff Gold called Great Bear a high-grade “generational opportunity” that will create a “positive legacy” for everyone. 1P1P marks an “important evolution” in how mines are being advanced in Ontario and their multi-billion-dollar investment, he said “sends a strong signal that Ontario remains one of the best jurisdictions in the world to invest, hire and build for the long term.” Gold said Kinross continues to build on a “trust-based” relationships with area First Nations to ensure they see the benefits of the mine. Marathon Mayor Rick Dumas, president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, called the Great Bear designation an “important moment for northwestern Ontario” that signals confidence in region, bolsters its workforce, helps community tax bases and exposes its resource potential. Dumas stressed meaningful consultation with First Nations and shared opportunities with these communities “must remain at the centre of resource development opportunity in the North.” While the podium speakers heralded the 1P1P approach as improving government accountability, delivering greater predictability for mine developers and investors without sacrificing environmental safeguards and meaningful consultation with First Nations, nothing was said how the provincial system will coordinate with Ottawa’s own review process on Great Bear.  Great Bear is undergoing a federal impact assessment steered by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) as determined by the government in March 2024. IAAC said at the time it would examine the project based on the jurisdictional areas where it has control in fish and fish habitat, migratory birds, and Indigenous people. On how the provincial 1P1P will mesh with the federal process, Energy and Mines spokesperson Noah Mawji responded, rhetorically, that the framework is about cutting red tape to accelerate projects. The ministry is calling on the feds to do the same "by eliminating duplication and getting projects built faster." The Kinross project is also facing opposition by an area First Nation through a legal challenge launched by Grassy Narrows against the company last year. The remote First Nation is 100 kilometres directly south of Red Lake. Grassy Narrows argues that, as a community downriver from Great Bear, the mine project poses an environmental risk to the English-Wabigoon river system. The community successfully challenged one of Kinross water-taking permits at the Ontario Land Tribunal last year. The tribunal sided with the community on potential environmental risks and consultation issues in granting the First Nation the right to appeal the government permit. The company withdrew the Permit to Take Water and has reapplied for a new one. In providing general remarks on First Nations engagement, Mawji said: “Our government remains committed to meaningful consultation and partnership with Indigenous communities. The ‘One Project, One Process’ framework does not supersede the Crown’s duty to consult. To date, Kinross has actively engaged with First Nations partners, and will continue to do so as the project advances.” See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on SPACES Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Is North Bay's local news important to you? If it is, we could use your help. Consider a small monthly contribution to support your local journalists. Click here to learn more. 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