Webequie supply road project

Project summary

Webequie First Nation has been given approval under the Environmental Assessment Act to proceed with the construction, operation and maintenance of a new, 90 kilometre, all-season road which will connect to the Ring of Fire region near McFaulds Lake and serve as a vital link for future mineral development projects. This approval is for the portion of the 107-kilometre long Webequie Supply Road that is not located on the reserve of Webequie First Nation.

Once complete, the road will improve year-round access to goods and services and connect community members to essential health and social services while creating lasting opportunities for Indigenous-led economic growth and prosperity.

The project is also intended to facilitate the movement of materials, supplies and people from the Webequie Airport to the proposed mine development and mineral exploration activities in the McFaulds Lake area of Northern Ontario.

Learn more on the Webequie Supply Road project website.

Proponent

Webequie First Nation

Location

Northern Ontario (from Webequie Airport to mineral exploration activities in the McFaulds Lake area)

Project type

Transportation

Reference number

18046

Contact

• Sasha McLeod, Environmental Assessment Branch
• Tel: 416-268-5984
• Toll-free: 1-800-461-6290
• sasha.mcleod@ontario.ca

Project history

Environmental assessment: approved
Submission date: January 30, 2026
Decision date: June 18, 2026

Terms of reference: approved
Decision date: October 8, 2021

Voluntary agreement: signed
Signature date: May 3, 2018

Environmental assessment

Webequie First Nation submitted its environmental assessment for the Webequie Supply Road to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for review on January 30, 2026.

An invitation to comment on the environmental assessment was posted on this webpage on January 30, 2026. Comments were accepted until March 20, 2026.

On April 17, 2026, the ministry published its review of the environmental assessment for Indigenous community, public and agency comment. A 5-week comment period for the review concluded on May 22, 2026. During that time, comments were also accepted on 7 addendum documents that were published by Webequie First Nation between March 26 and April 8, 2026.

In June 2026, the Minister, with Cabinet approval, gave approval to Webequie First Nation to proceed with the project as described in the environmental assessment.

Webequie First Nation may now proceed with implementing the project, subject to the conditions in the notice of approval and any other permits and approvals that may be required. Key conditions of approval include:

• the general requirement to comply with the environmental assessment and commitments made
• documentation requirements with respect to the public record
• compliance monitoring provisions for the proponent
• requirements to invite Indigenous communities to participate in the environment committee, including development and implementation of the construction environmental management plan and operation environmental management plan
• requirement for and activities of an environment committee
• coordination with the proponents of other proposed road projects in the region with respect to cumulative effects
• wetland emission monitoring
• mitigation measures for locally rare or uncommon vegetation
• mitigation measures for candidate significant wildlife habitat
• moose monitoring
• eastern migratory caribou monitoring

Federal environmental assessment process

This project was also subject to the federal impact assessment process under the Impact Assessment Act, 2019. Webequie First Nation worked with federal and provincial agencies to coordinate the federal and provincial assessment processes, where possible.

Learn more about the federal process.

Terms of reference

On October 8, 2021, after extended consultations, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks approved the Terms of Reference for the Webequie supply road project environmental assessment, with amendments that the Minister considers necessary. The approved Terms of Reference sets out in detail the requirements for the preparation of Webequie First Nation’s environmental assessment.

Notice of approval

Environmental Assessment Act subsection 6(4) approval of Terms of Reference for the preparation of an environmental assessment

Proponent: Webequie First Nation

Undertaking: The construction and operation of the Webequie Supply Road and ancillary facilities.

EA file number: 18046

As provided for by subsection 6(4) of the Environmental Assessment Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.E.18 (“the Act”), the proposed Terms of Reference submitted for approval to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks on August 14, 2020, with the amendments which I consider necessary, all of which are set out in this notice, is hereby approved (“the approved Terms of Reference”).

Pursuant to subsection 6.1(1) of the Act, any environmental assessment for the above-noted undertaking, submitted to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks pursuant to subsection 6.2(1) of the Act, must be prepared in accordance with the approved Terms of Reference.

Reasons

• I am satisfied that an environmental assessment prepared in accordance with the approved Terms of Reference will be consistent with the purpose of the Act and the public interest.
• The amendments in this Notice of Approval contain additional requirements for consultation with Indigenous communities with respect to the cumulative effects assessment to be prepared as part of the environmental assessment; and additional requirements for consultation with Indigenous communities at key milestones during the development of the environmental assessment. These amendments have been informed by concerns with respect to potential adverse impacts to established or credibly asserted Aboriginal or treaty rights that have been shared with the Crown during consultation with Indigenous communities, or that can reasonably be anticipated at this point in the environmental assessment process.
• The approved Terms of Reference includes other consultation requirements that are intended to provide for appropriate input during the environmental assessment by any interested person.
• The approved Terms of Reference provides adequate rationale for focusing the environmental assessment.
• The approved Terms of Reference contains a sufficient level of detail to provide for an accurate assessment of the environmental effects of alternative methods of carrying out the proposed undertaking and the preferred undertaking.
• There are no outstanding issues that have not been incorporated into the approved Terms of Reference, or that cannot be addressed during the preparation of the environmental assessment.

Amendments

To the extent that there is any conflict between the requirements outlined in the approved Terms of Reference (ToR) and the amendments below, it is the amendments below that will take precedence.

1. Cumulative effects

To strengthen the commitments in the ToR regarding the cumulative effects assessment and related consultation, Section 8.1 - Cumulative Effects of the ToR is amended to include the following:

1.1 Cumulative effects consultation

During the preparation of its environmental assessment (EA), Webequie First Nation (WFN) will consult with Indigenous communities on the cumulative effects assessment work plan, methodology, results and impact management measures. As part of the consultation on these items, WFN will offer targeted consultation opportunities to each Indigenous community. WFN will also consider any methods of engagement that Indigenous communities request in order to facilitate the consultation required by this section.

1.2 Consideration of other cumulative effects assessments

As part of the development of its EA, WFN will consider, where appropriate, any publicly available information that may be generated through the following which WFN considers relevant:

• any cumulative effects assessment developed as part of any EA in respect of the proposed Marten Falls Community Access Road; and
• any cumulative effects assessment developed as part of any EA in respect of the proposed Northern Road Link.

WFN will determine how to use any information described in this section in its EA including the cumulative effects assessment. If information described in this section is not available at the time WFN is prepared to submit its final EA to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), this will not delay the submission of the final EA.

1.3 Consideration of Regional Assessment

If there is an ongoing or completed Regional Assessment for the Ring of Fire area, as part of the development of its EA WFN will consider, where appropriate, any publicly available information that may be generated through that process which WFN considers relevant. WFN will determine how to use any information described in this section in its EA including the cumulative effects assessment. If information described in this section is not available at the time WFN is prepared to submit its final EA to MECP, this will not delay the submission of the final EA.

1.4 Cumulative effects consultation report

As part of the draft EA and final EA, WFN will prepare a cumulative effects consultation report to accompany the cumulative effects assessment within the EA. The report will include:

• a summary of the consultation completed with Indigenous communities and any other organizations/agencies regarding the development of the cumulative effects assessment; and
• comment-response tables showing how comments from Indigenous communities and any other organizations/agencies were considered and incorporated, as appropriate, in the development of the cumulative effects assessment.

1.5 Draft and final EA report documentation

The draft EA and final EA will contain draft and final cumulative effects assessments, respectively.

2. Table 10-8 and cumulative effects

Table 10-8: EA Consultation Milestones is amended by adding the following to the list of outcomes for each consultation activity: “Input into the cumulative effects assessment, including methods, results and impact management measures.”

3. Consultation reporting at key EA milestones

To support Indigenous communities to provide meaningful input during the development of the EA at each key milestone, Section 10.4.3 - Schedule of Consultation activities and Table 10-8 are amended to include the following:

3.1 Preparing progress reports

WFN will prepare a written progress report on the consultation activities associated with each of the following EA milestones:

• Notice of Commencement of EA;
• Baseline Data Collection, Identification of Alternatives; and
• Evaluation of Alternatives and Preliminary Effects Assessment.

Each progress report will:

• be organized by each Indigenous community;
• contain a consultation log and summary that tracks consultation activities, information shared by WFN with the community, any community input and WFN’s responses to such input for the EA milestone; and
• contain a discussion of how any input and information provided by the Indigenous communities have informed the development of the EA milestone.

3.2 Distributing progress reports

As soon as practicable after WFN has reached each EA milestone set out above and prepared the progress report associated with that milestone, WFN will:

• provide the relevant progress report to MECP; and
• provide each Indigenous community with a copy of the community-specific portion of the progress report that relates to that community.

3.3 Proceeding to the next EA milestone

Once the requirements in sections 3.1 and 3.2 have been completed for a milestone, WFN will determine when to move to the next milestone.

3.4 Responding to questions or concerns

In a timely manner, WFN will respond to any questions or concerns raised by MECP or an Indigenous community in response to the progress reports distributed under section 3.2, including making any revisions to the progress reports as WFN considers appropriate.

3.5 Records of consultation

WFN will append the final progress reports, with any relevant updates made in response to feedback received under section 3.4, as part of the records of consultation that are submitted with the draft EA and final EA.

Dated the 8^th day of October, 2021 at Toronto.
Original signed by:
Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
777 Bay Street, 5^th floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2J3

Voluntary agreement

This agreement is made, between:

• The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (the “Minister”)
• Webequie First Nation, its agents, successors and assigns (the “Proponent“)

Concerning:

The Proponent proposes the construction, operation and maintenance of a multi-use corridor, including an all-season road, and all associated infrastructure from the Webequie First Nation community to the proposed Ring of Fire mining development. The project is known as the Webequie Supply Road Project. (the “Undertaking”)

Whereas section 3.0.1 of the Environmental Assessment Act states:

A person, other than a person referred to in clause 3(a), who carries out, proposes to carry out or is the owner or person having charge, management or control of an enterprise or activity or a proposal, plan or program in respect of an enterprise or activity may enter into a written agreement with the Minister to have this Act apply to the enterprise, activity, proposal, plan or program.

Whereas the Proponent is a person, other than a person referred to in clause 3(a) of the Environmental Assessment Act, who proposes to carry out or is the owner or person having charge, management or control of an enterprise or activity or a proposal, plan or program in respect of an enterprise or activity which is described above as the Undertaking;

Whereas the Proponent has requested that the Environmental Assessment Act apply to the Undertaking, and

Whereas this agreement is administrative in nature.

The Minister and the Proponent therefore agree that the Environmental Assessment Act applies to the Undertaking.

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

This Agreement may be validly executed and delivered by means of transmission of signed facsimile or by email transmission of an electronically scanned original signature (such as in PDF file format).

This agreement shall take effect on the date that the Minister signs and shall continue indefinitely unless terminated by the agreement of both parties, in writing.

Executed by:

Original signed by:

Chris Ballard
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
Date: May 3, 2018

Cornelius Wabasse
Chief
Webequie First Nation
Date: May 3, 2018

I have the authority to bind the First Nation.