Ontario added Mayfair Gold’s Fenn-Gib project near Matheson to a co-ordinated permit stream, but approvals are still required

The designation gives Mayfair Gold a single provincial co-ordination process, but it is not approval to build the mine

Thunder Bay – RockHawks Update – Ontario has placed Mayfair Gold Corp.’s proposed Fenn-Gib gold mine near Matheson into a co-ordinated permitting stream that the province says is designed to cut government review time in half.

The project is the fourth to be designated under Ontario’s One Project, One Process framework. The Ministry of Energy and Mines will act as the central provincial contact for permits, authorizations and Crown consultation with Indigenous communities.

The designation does not approve construction. Mayfair must still obtain the permits and authorizations required from the responsible ministries, and each statutory decision-maker keeps authority over its own decision.

A large Northern Ontario proposal

Fenn-Gib is about 17 kilometres east of Matheson in the Timmins gold district. Ontario describes it as a proposed open-pit mine with an on-site mill and an initial operating life of 15 years.

The province says the project represents an estimated $450-million capital investment. It attributes forecasts of 450 construction jobs, 250 long-term jobs and a $3-billion contribution to Ontario’s gross domestic product to the project plan. Those figures are estimates, not completed investment or guaranteed employment.

Mayfair says it is working toward the permits needed for a construction decision as early as 2028, with commercial production possible in 2030. Its development schedule and economics remain subject to approvals, financing, engineering and a final construction decision.

What the fast track changes

One Project, One Process is meant to align provincial reviews and Indigenous consultation around one project schedule. Ontario says the approach can run reviews in parallel where possible and reduce duplication among ministries.

The framework guidance also makes clear that the proponent remains responsible for complete applications and that consultation timelines must remain flexible enough to be meaningful. Ontario says its constitutional duty to consult and, where appropriate, accommodate Indigenous communities remains in place.

Mayfair says it will continue working with Apitipi Anicinapek Nation and other Indigenous and local communities. No community response to Monday’s designation was identified in the sources reviewed for this draft.

For the Timmins and Cochrane District mining economy, the practical test will be whether co-ordination produces complete, defensible decisions without shifting unresolved environmental or consultation work to later stages.

What happens next

The ministry-led permitting team is expected to develop an integrated authorization plan and consultation plan for the project. Mayfair must then file the required applications with the ministries that hold decision-making authority.

Site preparation and permitting are expected to continue through 2028 under the province’s stated schedule. Construction and commissioning are forecast for 2028 to 2030, but those dates remain company and government projections..