ON360 Transition Briefings – Northern Connections

Northern Ontario is growing. Between 2016 and 2021, population in seven of the eleven census districts in Northern Ontario experienced population growth. Parry Sound grew by almost 10 per cent. Sudbury, Greater Sudbury, and Nipissing grew, on average, by about 3 per cent.These are positive developments and a sign that regional development in Northern Ontario is indeed possible. The key to future, sustainable, economic opportunities in Northern Ontario is to maintain and accelerate this population growth. People, after all, are the key to economic prosperity, social improvements, and environmental protection.

How do you attract, and retain, the necessary population in these diverse and geographically dispersed regions? By connecting them, to each other and to the rest of the world through a commitment to public investments in digital and physical infrastructure.