Healthcare appears to be one of the biggest issues for voters along the North Coast as they prepare to cast their votes in Algoma-Manitoulin.

Algoma-Manitoulin is one of the largest regions in the province, stretching from Manitouwadge to Manitoulin Island. Michael Mantha has served as the leader of the New Democratic Party since 2011.

Before 2011, it flipped between the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals. Mantha said healthcare challenges must be taken seriously.

He said, "We need to make the investments we need in healthcare, and we need to get doctors in Northern Ontario, specialists here, nurses, we certainly will not accept less."

Mantha said he saw the problems firsthand in his own community in Elliott Lake, where the hospital had to declare an "orange code" just before Christmas because they did not have enough staff to manage the emergency department.

He said, "We need primary care in Northern Ontario and across Algoma-Manitoulin." "We need to make sure our roads are safe to travel on and that winter road maintenance properly serves our roads.

And we need to make absolute investments in mental health because this region is suffering the worst opioid crisis throughout this province."

He said health must be at the top of Algoma-Manitoulin's priorities, given some of what the area has faced. Fine said, "There are many communities that do not have doctors." "They do not have access to necessary primary care (and struggle) to get to specialists."

Fine added: "I think there are many people who do not understand how close the system came to the brink during COVID and the situation has not improved." "We are witnessing burnout in nurses and burnout in doctors and frankly we see burnout throughout the medical community."

CTV News has made several attempts to contact Progressive Conservative Party candidate Cheryl Fort since May 13. On one occasion, her office said questions must be vetted in advance, which conflicts with CTV News policy.

CTV News also made multiple attempts to reach Green Party candidate Maria Legault, via her email and the party, and was unable to get in touch. Among other candidates in the race are Ron Kosky from New Blue, and the Ontario Party.