Ontario plans a fall legislative package to speed up permits for early-stage mining and support a defence-focused minerals shift.
Ontario is moving to cut early-stage red tape for mining projects, with a legislative push expected later this year, Energy and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce said.
Lecce framed the plan as a way to reduce timelines and boost investor confidence as Ontario’s minerals strategy leans more heavily toward defence metals. He said the government wants a broad package in the fall, building on fast-tracking started last year for major projects.
The message is clear: when permitting drags on, it can delay not only projects, but also the wider industrial planning that depends on them.
Ontario is also backing Toronto’s bid to host a Nato bank, the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, which is set to begin operations next year. Lecce said the timing aligns with Ontario’s updated minerals strategy, also due next year.
In his comments, he pointed to Ontario’s manufacturing base and its defence-related workforce and companies as part of the province’s case. He also described Toronto’s role in mining finance as a factor in persuading Nato decision-makers.
That defence-and-finance framing matters because it ties permitting and minerals policy to procurement priorities, rather than treating resource development as a standalone sector.
Beyond the Nato bank push, Lecce said Ontario’s approach is focused on strengthening local processing rather than shipping resources out for others to refine.. He pointed to nickel as an example of the province’s supply contribution to the United States and argued Ontario should move faster on critical minerals development.
The minister also referenced the ongoing Canada-United-States-Mexico Agreement review, noting that trade discussions could create room to negotiate on areas like steel, aluminum, autos, and softwood lumber. He said Canada’s negotiating posture would emphasize stability as talks progress.
At the policy level, the province’s proposed bill would build on One Project, One Process, a program designed to reduce duplication across provincial and federal permitting while helping advanced developments move through the final steps toward production.
For Lecce, the practical target is earlier-stage work: reducing permitting delays at early exploration and advanced exploration stages, and also supporting expansions for active mines.. “We’re not going to slow down,” he said, describing Ontario as open for business as it pushes through the CUSMA review and accelerates permitting timelines.
In the end, faster early-stage approvals can reshape how quickly projects move from planning to production, which is often where supply certainty is won or lost.