Too get ellected politicians were so on political skills, read that as sellable promises to the gullible public. Not every one has all the skills necessary for the job. Once in, the onus on them is to quickly learn their job functions.

Be it a governmental minister or local MP and MPP, they need to talk to the people they represent to know their problems and needs.
After that they need the wisdom to determine how to go about solving the problems. Where the wisdom comes in is in having the skill to give every body a bit of what they want and persuade them to give in a bit for the greater good.
Here there is no room for political bent or favouritism. All need to be represented fairly.

Improper example, provincially of McGin who favoured tree huggers over needs of northern Ontario and federally Harpo whose 'conservatism' takes priority over fair treatment of non-conservative provinces.

Applying to our Ring:
No politician has had the skill to learn quickly what is needed and how to go about implementing solutions.
As a result, too much time and money was spent on talking and not enough on reaching agreements. In some cases 'agreements' need to be imposed when some entities are unwilling to compromise.
This is where backbone is needed, because life is made of compromises and not of having one's cake and eating it.

Ministers should have stepped into the Cliffs and KWG dispute and imposed a practical solution that was fore most favourable to the province.

Same applies to present impass with the native communities regarding road and rail access. This wait and see to get things 'Right' is only making things wrong.
Time is money drained away.

Too many native communities have too much input about which they should not have.

I say Webequie is the only one who need be consulted, without a veto, about the Ring itself and other communities only about transportation routes IF those routes are going to be near them. By near I do not mean 50 kilometers or more.

It is a sick joke that they have anything to say about things going on 50 or more kilometers from them.

Wants and needs of Ontario should trump wants and wishes of local communities. Yes, consult and try to accomodate but if met with intransigence, impose a solution favourable to whole province or even country.

Ed.