Some time back, while working on a documentary for this network, I was accused of being city folk by a cop.

The officer for the Sudbury Regional Police told me, "I guess you might not understand what it's like to live in a community up here."

Having been born and raised in Sudbury, I had a ready retort.

"But you moved to Toronto?" she asked, surprise and disappointment in her voice. "My God, why?"

I hear the same kind of idea expressed down here about the north. What kind of medical service can you expect when you live in a tiny town along the highway? Why would an industry set up shop miles from a major metropolitan centre? What on earth does one DO up there?

Perspectives can be fairly divided. Tonight the Agenda will bring you candidates from northern ridings and journalist Conway Fraser to discuss how the battle for Ontario looks from up there. The phone lines will be open and we'll take your emailed questions to put to the panel.

If you don't spend a lot of time mulling over northern issues, this is still be a good test for the parties. What have they got to offer on issues and areas outside the mainstream? It's also a great opportunity to round out your impression of the issues at the forefront of this race.