Ontario urged to get act together to save Ring of Fire development

TORONTO – Critics say Ontario’s governing Liberals must get their act together soon if they want to save the Ring of Fire development in northern Ontario.

The NDP and Conservatives are livid with the government for failing to prevent a major U.S. player from pulling out of the massive mining project.

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., which was going to pour billions into the project, has suspended its operations indefinitely.

It’s a major setback for cash-strapped Ontario, which may not see the economic windfall the government promised with the Ring of Fire anytime soon.

The New Democrats say the Liberals dithered as Cliffs warned it might pull out as development stalled over a dispute about access to the site.

The Tories say it has a chilling effect on other companies looking to invest in Ontario and warn that tens of thousands of jobs won’t materialize if Cliffs doesn’t come back.