By Jim Moodie, The Sudbury Star

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 1:01:35 EST AM

http://www.thesudburystar.com/2018/02/28/i-love-sudbury-doug-ford-says

Asked what he would do to better the lives of Northern Ontarians, Ford said he would create an environment more conducive to business and expand infrastructure and transit options in the region.

"I want to give companies incentives to open up here in the North," he said in separate conversation with The Star. "And I want to get rid of the political insiders, the establishment, that don't care about Sudbury and the North."

Ford said his message "resonates more in the rural areas and in the North than it does in the 416," so he is confident that he can represent the needs of the area.

As for the Ring of Fire, the candidate said he's "tired of watching all this back and forth and back and forth. Stop talking, and let's start building roads. There's billions of dollars sitting there, and as my dad used to say, there's a gold mine, you gotta start learning how to mine the gold."

Ford added development of the James Bay mineral trove will benefit "all of Ontario, so we need to put that investment into infrastructure up in the North."

The leadership candidate said he would also enhance travel options for Northern Ontarians by reintroducing the Ontario Northland train routes scrapped under the Liberals.