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Across Ontario, including the regions that make up Northern Ontario, many employers are likely to experience a change in ownership or leadership soon. Improving rates of succession planning is critical to the long-term sustainability and success of Ontario's businesses and wider economy.

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Northern Ontario residents (rural and urban) suffer from worse health outcomes than their counterparts in the rest of the province. These residents also have more precarious access to primary and emergency care. Much of this inequity is due to difficulties in attracting and retaining physicians. One of the main reasons why some physicians are reluctant to practice in rural and remote communities in Northern Ontario is their limited connection to peers and specialists. This restricts their ability to consult others, get second opinions, and obtain patient support on complex cases.

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After years of decline, Northern Ontario’s population of young adults is expected to grow again. A new policy note from NPI finds that this demographic rebound will threaten the financial model adopted by many local colleges and universities, forcing schools and the provincial government to make tough choices. Absent reforms to public funding for enrolment caps, colleges and universities will have to either reject more local applicants or give up some of the international student revenues upon which they have become increasingly reliant.

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Twinning highways has been used as the primary strategy for improving driving conditions and road safety in Northern Ontario for decades. This option carries high costs and a long completion time. The latest paper from NPI finds that 2+1 roads offer a better cost-benefit ratio compared to twinning. The piece recommends that, going forward, a 2+1 roads strategy should be used in the regions of Northern Ontario. 

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The current – and worsening – homelessness, addiction, and mental health crisis in Northern Ontario strongly indicates that current services and programs are not adequately addressing the needs of Northerners. There is little room in municipal budgets to provide additional dollars toward addressing this crisis. However, as this paper identifies, there are evidence-driven and economically viable strategies decision-makers can take to address these barriers and service gaps, both directly and indirectly.

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