Ring of Fire to benefit from rail, hydro plans, Lawrence Martin says

Morning North5:28Big plans for Ring of Fire from Mushkegowuk Grand Chief

Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Lawrence Martin is at the Prospectors and Developers Conference in Toronto to lobby and garner support for some plans that, while servicing the Ring of Fire project, will also bring lasting prosperity to eight Cree communities.

The Grand Chief of the Mushkegowuk Council is lobbying for industry and government support in Toronto this week, at the prospectors and developers conference, for a wide-ranging set of proposals to serve the Ring of Fire development. 

Lawrence Martin says Cree-owned Five Nations Energy could expand to bring power to the James Bay Coast as well as the Ring of Fire. Alongside this project, Martin wants to see public and private partnerships to bring safe water and housing to the communities. 

The Mushkegowuk Council represents eight Cree communities along the James Bay Coast as well as Cochrane and Chapleau.​

"This is a great opportunity for us to get involved in a big way in equity positions and having control over the power and being able to sell it to the customers, the mining industry, to the infrastructure, and to other municipalities." said Martin.

Plans to expand the rail system are also in the works.