Very often, economic prosperity is the big draw that leads immigrants to northern Ontario, whether it be Hearst or Timmins. I don't know if you consider North Bay a part of northern Ontario, but for Franco-Ontarians, it is not a part of the north, which we normally consider begins in Sudbury.
People have to be able to find jobs. Newcomers don't know what northern Ontario is. So they are going to go where there is an urban concentration and where their demographic group can be found, as this will be their first attachment and point of contact.
That is where we have to go and get the newcomers to settle in northern Ontario, i.e. people who can communicate in both official languages, because there is already an exodus of francophones from the north to the south. That is a problem we also have in eastern Ontario.
The problem is that there is no reception framework. When the selection is made, it is often according to criteria that do not always take duality and linguistic needs into account. So we get qualified people, but no percentages or quotas are specified. That is why I am asking that 10% of the people selected be able to communicate in both official languages, so as to insure that we can maintain demographic weight if there is mobility in the different regions.
Linguistic duality is essential for francophones and I will explain why. When a community sees its demographic weight declining, it becomes insecure. The insecurity leads to a behavioural inferiority. People withdraw and keep to themselves. That is the fundamental reaction and this has to be avoided. However, when you see that your population is growing and you see more members arriving, this gives you the confidence to keep going.