Before billions of dollars of minerals can be extracted from a potentially massive mining development in Northern Ontario, the industry must engage the first nations people, the federal government’s project leader says.

Tony Clement, treasury board president and minister for the federal economic development initiative for Northern Ontario, said the nickel, copper and chromite-rich land known as the Ring of Fire faces many hurdles, but when developed it could yield $30-billion to $50-billion worth of minerals and create about 5,000 jobs in the area.