I have never been further north than Timmins but I do not regard it as the far north, just north to me, even though I am from southern Ontario. I regard the area from North Bay to Sault St. Marie as mid Ontario and as for Torontonians, many think as Barrie & orillia being north and Huntsville far north because that is as far as they go for summer vacations.

And in the mid 1980s I recall a morning temperature near London of -43C. the lowest I have witnessed.

Any hooo, this pointless opinion leads to:

It matters not if the temperature is -40 as long as you have a good and secure job to go to to keep your house warm and stocked with beer.

It also matters little that you go down a four lane highway when there are people who do not have even a decent gravel road to get to a reasonably priced store or a doctor.

The priority for the Ontario government should be not four lane highways in southern Ontario or even mid, but any all year roads in real northern. Ditto for electricity and rail lines.

With that said I still harp for a smelter in Nakina unless a rail line is extended closer to the Ring before construction begins for the smelter. The smelter should be located at head of rail closest to the Ring. To achieve that electricity has to also be provided for that location.

This is not just to serve the companies at the Ring but all the communities along the way.

With that done people will come, indigenous or otherwise, but the region would grow and all other concerns would wither in time.