Province fast-tracks Great Bear gold project near Red Lake

.asset-paging .direction { color: #0073ec; } Featured Province fast-tracks Great Bear gold project near Red Lake Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Feb 18, 2026 Feb 18, 2026 Updated Feb 18, 2026 Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save $(window).load(function() { window.setTimeout(affixShare, 2000); function affixShare() { var sHeight = $('#share-left-affix').outerHeight(true); var cHeight = $('#share-left-affix').parent().outerHeight(true); var sTop = $('#share-left-affix').offset().top - 50; var sBottom = $(document).height() - ($('#share-left-affix').parent().offset().top + cHeight - 50); if(cHeight > sHeight) { $('#share-left-affix').affix({ offset: { top: sTop, bottom: sBottom } }); } } }); $(window).resize(function() { var sHeight = $('#share-left-affix').outerHeight(true); var cHeight = $('#share-left-affix').parent().outerHeight(true); var sTop = $('#share-left-affix').offset().top - 50; var sBottom = $(document).height() - ($('#share-left-affix').parent().offset().top + $('#share-left-affix').parent().outerHeight(true) - 50); if(cHeight > sHeight) { $('#share-left-affix').data('bs.affix').options.offset.top = sTop; $('#share-left-affix').data('bs.affix').options.offset.bottom = sBottom; } }); Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, Stephen Lecce, met with representatives from Kinross Gold on Tuesday to announce the fast-tracking of a mine near Red Lake. Photo by Stephen Lecce MPP The Great Bear gold mine project 24 kilometres southeast of Red Lake is getting fast-tracked under the province’s “One Project, One Process” framework.“Ontario is proud to designate this project under ‘One Project, One Process,’ unlocking one of Canada’s largest mines that will create over 1,000 good-paying jobs,” Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce told reporters Tuesday in Mississauga.Toronto-headquartered Kinross Gold Corporation wants to develop its Great Bear property into a combination open-pit and underground mine that could produce more than 5 million ounces of gold over a 12-year period.Great Bear is the second Northwestern Ontario mine project to get the fast-tracking “1P1P” treatment, after Lecce announced in October that Frontier Lithium’s PAK project north of Red Lake was selected for the super-charged framework.“By fast-tracking Kinross Gold’s Great Bear Project, we’re getting shovels in the ground, proving that world-class projects can be built with speed and in partnership,” Lecce said Thursday in a government news release.Red Lake Mayor Fred Mota said the announcement “reaffirms this government’s commitment to advancing mineral development in Red Lake and across Northwestern Ontario.“This advancement will create hundreds of immediate full-time jobs through the construction phase and hundreds of more full-time employment opportunities once the mine is operational.”J. Paul Rollinson, Kinross Gold’s CEO, said the government’s decision “reflects Ontario’s leadership in creating the right conditions for responsible, long-term mining investment.”Lecce has said a streamlined permitting process for the resource sector is necessary so that the province can be more competitive in the global economy, but North Spirit Lake Chief Brandon Rae said in October it amounts to First Nations such as his “being pushed aside.”In Thursday’s news release, Lecce’s ministry said to the contrary that Ontario is still living up to its duty to consult First Nations.“The new framework provides a more coordinated and transparent approach to consultation with Indigenous communities,” the release stated. “Ontario continues to encourage meaningful participation through employment, training and partnerships.”Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association president Rick Dumas said in a news release that Thursday's announcement "is an important step in unlocking Northwestern Ontario’s critical minerals and mining potential." The Local Journalism Initiative is supported by the Government of Canada. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save More from this section Province retools OSAP, whittling grants down to new all-time low The Government of Ontario is revamping the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and fundamentally changing the game for post-secondary students province-wide. ‘Crisis’ looms as hospitals still severely underfunded, CUPE says Hospitals in Ontario are severely underfunded, and the detrimental effects of this underfunding will only increase over the years, a new report from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) explains. Province fast-tracks Great Bear gold project near Red Lake The Great Bear gold mine project 24 kilometres southeast of Red Lake is getting fast-tracked under the province’s “One Project, One Process” framework. 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