The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) welcomed the province’s continued focus on the North with its investments in economic development, infrastructure, and regional growth with the release of the 2025 Ontario Budget.
Highlights for Northwestern Ontario included the province’s continued expansion of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), a new $3-billion Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program, sustained investment in Northern highways, including critical upgrades to Highways 11 and 17, a $10-million 2025 budget proposal to support Northern colleges and the advancement of the Critical Minerals Strategy.
There is, however, plenty of work to be done, says Rick Dumas, NOMA president.
“We need investments in development-ready infrastructure, long-term support for our post-secondary institutions, and co-ordinated action to protect jobs from global trade uncertainty,” he said.
He called the government’s $500-million investment in the new Critical Minerals Processing Fund (CMPF) a “significant step” toward building the infrastructure and industrial capacity needed to capture more value in the North.
“But $5 million is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to working with mining companies,” he said. “What is the criteria for the juniors? How does that work? We know that they announced the funding for Frontier Lithium to convert the old power station in Thunder Bay into a processing plant. But you need to have the lithium to get to the processing plant, which is no different than the copper, platinum, palladium, chromite, nickel and whatever else might be there.”
Dumas has always been an advocate for highway improvements and said when working with regional department heads and regional managers of highways and planning, “Invite us to the table, because we’re the ones who drive the highway.”
“I’d like to get back to that where we can have discussions with the planning people,” he said.
“The provincial government has done a really good job over the last five to 10 years in regards to improving highway safety, so can we continue to work on that?”
The impact of global trade disruptions and tariffs on key Northern sectors such as forestry and manufacturing remains a concern for NOMA. Dumas says the key is sitting down at the table and working with MP Patty Hajdu, whom he called our federal counterpart responsible for job creation and protection.
“We certainly need the jobs to pay for the products we’d need to buy from day to day,” he said.
“Let’s figure out what it is we’ve heard from both levels of government and how they’re going to return the tariff dollars back into the affected areas of trade.”
Dumas noted that the need to support Northern colleges, especially in rural and remote areas, to develop and sustain a locally trained workforce, is of particular concern for NOMA. He said the $10 million proposed in the 2025 budget is a positive step forward, but long-term operational funding is still needed.
“Post-secondary institutions must be equipped to train the skilled professionals needed across the growing forestry, mining, healthcare, and professional sectors,” he said. “Without this support, colleges risk program reductions and closures, which would jeopardize the region’s workforce pipeline.
Dumas added that strong partnerships and strategic investments are the way to position Northwestern Ontario as an economic hub for the “new Ontario” that will drive the province through skilled talent, responsible resource development, innovation, and community resilience.
