The new routes are nice, but they weren't a replacement for the Northlander, they were put in place to address major gaps left by Greyhound and others. The one trip along Lake Superior connects to a minbus service operated out of Thunder Bay (Kasper). It is nice to see ONTC fill these gaps, but this is a separate issue than what was promised in 2012.
I used to take the Northland bus on occasion from Sudbury to Toronto from 2003 through 2009. There were three trips a day back then, along with Greyhound-operated express runs (Greyhound would not stop between Barrie and Sudbury, except a rest stop at Parry Sound, and no new passengers allowed to board). I quite liked the early evening ride from Sudbury on the ON bus - much quieter and less crowded than the Greyhound, making up for the extra hour it took with the local stops. I also used to sometimes take VIA up for the novelty, back when it was a morning departure from Union, getting off at Sudbury Junction (with an expensive taxi ride to the city centre) or Capreol (where a Sudbury Transit bus would get you downtown).
As for Orillia, I'm surprised that Northland still serves the station, rather than a location closer to Highway 11. I fear that Northland will move to a spot by the highway inconvenient for local residents, but there are a few decent options: the Georgian College campus (near the OPP headquarters) would be close to the highway, but at least serve a trip generator and be accessible to a local bus route. Even the Best Western at Highway 12 and Memorial Drive would work - there's a place to wait out of the cold or rain, with nearby fast food - precedent was set for a hotel stop in Bracebridge.
