Ontario fast-tracks major transmission line in partnership with First Nations to support mining – Canada’s National Observer
February 10th 2026
Ontario is fast-tracking a major new transmission line between Barrie and Sudbury in partnership with First Nations to support mining, part of a bet that a surge in mining development will drive electricity demand in northern Ontario.
Some experts welcome the equity partnership with First Nations. But others have raised concerns about the environmental impacts of a major transmission line and question the project’s economic benefits, warning that mining development could take more than a decade, cost billions and deliver uncertain returns.
Sam Oosterhoff, Ontario’s associate minister of energy-intensive industries, said Monday the 290-kilometre, 500-kilovolt line is essential to support mining, electrification and industrial growth in Northern Ontario.
