The provincial budget delivered by Canadian Finance Minister Dwight Duncan last week in the Legislature has “made the future of mining in Ontario significantly brighter”, according to the Ontario Mining Association. It not only boosts the prospects of existing mineral producing operations but reduces economic resistance to new developments. The C$450 million Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program (NIERP), the C$45 million new project based skills training program for Aboriginals and Northern Ontario residents, the appointment of a Ring of Fire Co-ordinator and the C$1.2 billion in infrastructure development to strengthen northern communities all represent positive commitments for the mineral sector. (more…)