The Ontario government will add the massive Kinross Great Bear high-grade gold project to a program designed to accelerate development of resource production in the province, Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce announced today.
Great bear will be developed under the One Project, One Process permitting framework unveiled in October, Lecce said in a press release.
“At a time of global economic uncertainty, Ontario is choosing to build—to build faster, to build more at home, and to build Canada’s self-reliance,” Lecce said in a press release. “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.”
Great Bear is a large, high‑grade gold development located just south of Red Lake, Ont., about 380 km north of Fort Frances, where Kinross is advancing a major open‑pit and underground mining operation. It’s expected to create more than 1,000 jobs in the region and produce more than 500,000 ounces of gold annually during its first eight years and roughly six million ounces over its initial 12‑year mine life
The One Project, One Process program, also known as 1P1P, is intended to bring all provincial approvals for a major project into a single coordinated process instead of separate, sequential ones. It’s designed to reduce duplication, shorten timelines and improve clarity by having ministries work together in parallel.
For projects like Kinross’s Great Bear, it aims to create a faster and more predictable path from exploration to construction while still maintaining the same environmental standards and Indigenous consultation requirements.
“The One Project, One Process designation marks an important milestone for the Great Bear Project and reflects Ontario’s leadership in creating the right conditions for responsible, long-term mining investment,” said J. Paul Rollinson, CEO of Kinross Gold.
“For Kinross, this designation facilitates a more integrated and streamlined path forward as we advance the permitting of this world-class mine towards commercial production in consultation with Indigenous communities. Great Bear is a generational asset and positioned to become one of Canada’s largest and most profitable gold mines once operational.”
Kinross says the project represents a more than $5-billion capital investment and is expected to create 900 jobs during its operational life, with peak employment reaching 1,100 workers. Thousands of additional construction and indirect jobs will also be created during the build-out phase in 2027 to 2029, delivering new economic opportunities to the region.
This designation complements other work underway in the Red Lake region to unlock economic growth and opportunity including the consultation on the Red Lake Transmission Line, a proposed line that would run from Dryden to Red Lake to power new mines and growing communities.
Ontario is Canada’s top mineral producer, generating $13-billion worth of minerals in 2024, with gold accounting for a significant portion of its production value.
The government is supporting Indigenous participation through a $70-million investment in the Indigenous Participation Fund and $3.1 billion in available loan guarantees through the Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program.
