Timmins Mayor Steve Black says he’s disappointed the Ontario New Democrats have a candidate running in a southern Ontario riding who has questioned the economic potential of the Ring of Fire.

"It’s disappointing to hear that someone may not believe in the value of that project when it’s all most of Northern Ontario has been talking about economically for the past 10 years," said Black, while attending the opening of Yvan Genier’s campaign office in Timmins. Genier is the Timmins riding candidate for the Progressive Conservatives — the same party Black ran for in 2014.

The NDP candidate Black made reference to is Ramsey Hart, who is running in Lanark-Frontenac and Kingston. Hart used to work for Mining Watch Canada, a non-profit group that describes its mission as ensuring that mineral development worldwide is "consistent with the goals of sustainable communities and ecological health."

"If you go back and you look him (Hart) up, he’s questioned what the Ring of Fire means economically or if it’s economically viable many times over the past few years," said Black.

"I can say there’s nothing that’s more economically critical to see moved ahead from a development standpoint for Northern Ontario than the Ring of Fire … We talk about economic viability; I can’t think of a more economically viable thing than having an extra 350 jobs in our community guaranteed for 100 years."

Black noted, "Timmins is obviously still one of the communities competing for the ferrochrome processing facility for Noront and it would be great to have someone fighting inside the government to ensure that project comes to Timmins."

During the Northern provincial leaders debate held in Parry Sound on Friday’s, Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford targeted the NDP for having what Ford described as an anti-mining "extremist" running for the NDP in Kingston.

"She has a candidate named Ramsey Hart. He’s an extremist, an environmentalist," said Ford at the event in Parry Sound. "He spent his whole career, his whole career, trying to close down mines. Who does that? Who targets people working at the mines?"

Ford’s office issued a press release Saturday, citing published interviews four and five years ago with the CBC, the Toronto Star and various environmental publications in which Hart questioned the economics of the Ring of Fire and whether it is in the public interest to mine such a "pristine watershed" area.

It was these published remarks that prompted Ford to chastise NDP leader Andrea Horwath during Friday’s debate, calling Hart’s candidacy evidence of a party beholden to "downtown Toronto" leftists who are out of touch with the province’s heartland.

Timmins NDP candidate Gilles Bisson was asked if Hart’s candidacy reflects an internal division of opinion concerning the party’s commitment to developing the Ring of Fire.

"Absolutely not. Our leader has been clear. We’ve always supported mining. Mining is an industry that has come a long ways over the years and it much safer and much more environmentally responsible these days than it was, say, 50 years ago. So we support mining," said Bisson.

"I think you’ve got to take this for what it is: The Conservatives and Liberals are looking at the NDP who are surging, our polling numbers are getting better, the Liberals are in third place. So they are going to come out swinging at us, which is normal. And the Tories, they are losing support to us as well … So they are going to come out swinging, but I can assure you the New Democrats and Andrea Horwath stand supportive of mining. We always have been, always will be."

Asked about some of the comments attributed to Hart concerning the Ring of Fire, Bisson replied, "I can quote you all kinds of Conservative candidates who have said all kinds of stupid things including Doug Ford. Does that mean to say somebody in Ontario doesn’t have a difference of opinion within their own parties about something? Of course, that happens.

"But I can tell you, the official position of Andrea Horwath, the official position of the party and all of our members, including our current members who sit in the Legislature: We see the Ring of Fire as a positive thing for Ontario. We’re upset that the government of Ontario under Kathleen Wynne has failed to be able to deliver. We’re upset the federal Conservatives under Stephen Harper were not able to get anything rolling. I think it’s about time to give the NDP a chance because quite frankly, we have a better track record for doing projects in a sustainable way than any other party."

— With files from The Sudbury Star and The Canadian Press