I can't speak specifically to the results that they're using, but maybe what I can talk a little bit about is what the targeted geoscience initiative tries to do on behalf of industries with regard to some of the exploration. Really what it's doing is focusing on new and innovative ways to look for deeper mineral deposits, reducing some of the risks for mineral exploration and helping improve the industry's global competitiveness while creating opportunities at home.
In budget 2015 we did have an allocation identified of about $23 million or $24 million over the next five years to stimulate the technological innovation needed to separate and develop chromite and other important minerals. According to the Province of Ontario, the Ring of Fire region is estimated to hold over $60 billion of in situ metal deposits of chromite, base metals, and platinum-group metals. So our estimate of the value of the seven most-advanced projects is between $31 billion and $54 billion, related to those types of minerals.
In the past four years $40 million of federal funds have been invested to support aboriginal capacity-building, as well as business and skills development in northern Ontario to support the initiative. Over three years, starting in 2013, $4.4 million has been invested from FedNor to support aboriginal communities.
Another $5.9 million was invested from the ESDC's—Employment and Social Development Canada's—skills and partnership fund to support skills training for aboriginal peoples in 2013, and $5.2 million was invested toward training and work experience for aboriginal participants in 2014.
So in addition—