Timmins

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Timmins, Ontario
Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Motto: 
The City with a Heart of Gold
File:Ontario-timmins.PNG
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
Established1912
Government
 • MayorTom Laughren
 • Governing BodyTimmins City Council
 • MPsCharlie Angus (NDP)
 • MPPsGilles Bisson (ONDP)
Area
 • Total2,961.52 km2 (1,143.45 sq mi)
Population
 (2006)[1]
 • Total42,997
 • Density14.75/km2 (38.2/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal code span
P4N, P4P, P4R
WebsiteCity of Timmins
This article is about city in Ontario, Canada. For other uses, see Timmins (disambiguation).

Timmins, with a population of 42,997 (2006), is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At 2,961.52 square kilometres (1,143 sq mi), Timmins was Canada's largest municipality in land area until 1995, when the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta was created, although it remained the largest municipality in Ontario until 2001, when it was superseded by the newly amalgamated cities of Kawartha Lakes and Greater Sudbury.

History

Archaeological and historical studies indicate that the first people to settle in the Timmins area were nomadic tribes dating back to 7,000 BC, Ojibwa, Cree, Middle Shield Culture.

During the late 1600s, explorers and fur traders established outposts in the north to capitalize on the fur trade. The Hudson's Bay Company and the Northwest Company later developed several trading posts along major routes in northern Ontario. The rivalry between these two trading companies resulted in the need to get their furs to market as soon as possible and this led to the development of the Porcupine Trail. A trading route that connected the Abitibi River to the Mattagami River and passed directly through present day Timmins.

In reaction to favorable provincial Geological Survey reports, construction of the railway northward, and major silver discoveries in Cobalt, Ontario, in 1907, the region became a popular destination and home to dozens of prospectors eager to explore the areas around Porcupine Lake.

In 1909, with the discovery of the "Golden Stairway" (which led to the Dome Mine), the Porcupine Gold Rush began and the area became known as an important mining camp (The Porcupine Camp). The gold camp experienced a major set back in 1911, just after the completion of the Temiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway truck line into the new camp when fire sweep through the area causing a vast amount of destruction and some 200+ deaths.

The Porcupine Camp is one of the first localities in the world to have its entire history documented by photography. Dating back to its origins with the first major discovery of gold by Jack Wilson and Harry Preston (Dome) (North America's longest continually operating gold mine), the history of Timmins is recorded in pictures. The renowned Harry Peters photographed the Porcupine Camp from the beginning of its inception, and the Great Fire of 1911 was one of his first achievements.

The Town of Timmins was founded by Noah Timmins in 1912 after the Hollinger Gold Mine was discovered. Noah was born in 1867 in Mattawa, Ontario. It was in Mattawa where he worked in his father's shop with his older brother Henry. Travellers heading to and from northern Ontario would often pass through Mattawa and while there would often stock up on supplies at the Timmins' store. Noah would often listen to the tales told by travellers of gold and silver which they had found mostly by accident. It was one of these stories that caught Noah's attention particularly.

On February 10, 1928 smoke began to curl up from the main Hollinger Mine shaft house. At first no one could understand how fire could take place in a hard-rock mine. Hundreds of miners escaped to surface, but news soon spread that others had been trapped underground. In the end, 39 miners succumbed to the smoke and carbon monoxide poisoning. Out of the suffering some good came, an inquiry into the disaster recommended that mine rescue stations be set up in major mining camps. In 1929 the Porcupine Camp received the first mine rescue station in the province of Ontario.

It was the general practice at the time not to back fill depleted stopes, which in turn left large underground voids. These voids were used as rubbish dumps and eventually became littered with old power boxes and other burnable debris. Given the damp nature of the underground setting, this flammable rubbish became prone to spontaneous combustion, and it was this phenomenon which produced the fire. Although underground fires are not typically very large, it is the rapid rate that they consume oxygen and give off smoke and carbon monoxide which makes them so dangerous and deadly.

Dr. Stompin' Tom Connors, the famous Canadian patriot, troubadour, and recipient of the Order of Canada, composed and recorded a ballet about the disaster though Lord Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet CKGB Recording, entitled "Fire in the Mine".

The Town of Timmins itself grew into a small city, becoming the most populous jurisdiction within the Porcupine Camp. In 1973, the Province of Ontario amalgamated all the municipal jurisdictions within a 3,200 km² (1,240 square mile) area, including the Town of Timmins, South Porcupine, Schumacher (Tisdale Township), Mountjoy Township, Porcupine (Whitney Township) and the many of the other smaller surrounding communities which created the Corporation of the City of Timmins. The new city was the largest city in Canada landwise for a period.

The mining of gold was the catalyst (The Big Three, Dome, Hollinger and McIntyre), but during the early 1960s, base metals such as silver, zinc, copper, and nickel were discovered (Texas Gulf Sulphur), breathing new life into The Porcupine economy and to this day mining remains the dominant industry in the area. Forestry is also important to the local economy.

Four of Noah Timmins' great-grandchildren are notable entertainers: Margo Timmins, Michael Timmins, Peter Timmins formed a band called Cowboy Junkies in 1986 and Cali Timmins, rose to fame as an actress on Ryan's Hope.

Due to the large network of abandoned mining tunnels under the city, Timmins has had problems in recent years with sinkholes. This began to attract international attention in 2004, with a story on the topic airing on the American Fox News Channel. So far, the city has managed to avoid tragedy as nobody has died in a sinkhole incident.

Economy

File:HPIM0167.JPG
City Hall Engineering Building

Timmins' economy is based on a boom-and-bust business cycle. The city's economic state is controlled by its major industry, mining. When gold and base-metal prices are high the city's economy explodes, however, when those prices drop the local market historically dips with it.

The city's economy is now booming thanks to high base-metal and gold prices. Timmins' secondary industries include: forestry, tourism, recreation, health care, education, commerce, and telecommunications. The community has been undergoing a moderate boom in gold mining, with several new underground mining operations opening up and a large scale surface mining reclamation project currently underway in the east end and another in a more centralized location in the planning stage Porcupine Joint Venture.

The Timmins and District Hospital is a main health care centre for northeastern Ontario. The community is serviced by the Victor M. Power Airport . It has scheduled service to numerous southern and northern Ontario locations via Air Canada Jazz, Bearskin Airlines, Thunder Airlines and Air Creebec . The community has a robust transit system in place which relays on the extensive use of buses, The Timmins Transit. The City of Timmins is also serviced by Ontario Northland (Motor Coach) service, Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.

A retail boom has struck Timmins and big box stores are being built in the city's west end. This includes a new Home Depot and a new larger Canadian Tire. A new Shoppers Drug Mart has been constructed near downtown. As well, a number of shops will be established in a new plaza being constructed near Highway 655 and Algonquin Blvd East. Futureshop is expected to open a store in April of 2008 at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Shirley Street. Shoppers Drug Mart will open a second new large format store on Algonquin in November 2007. Michaels Arts Centre, Dollarama, A&W, Boston Pizza and Value Village will open stores in Timmins in the next year. Rumours have been circulating that Costco, will build a new store in the coming years.

The city is undergoing a major strategic planning effort, "Building Our Future", and economic development endeavour "Community Improvement Plan (CIP) - Streetscape". This initiative is a community led process that involves a variety of partners including The City of Timmins, The Timmins Economic Development Corporation, The Timmins Chamber of Commerce, The Venture Centre/Le Centre de développement, Le Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité de l'Ontario (RDÉE), Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario (ACFO), Ministry of Northern Development & Mines, The National Research Council, FedNor, NorthernTel, Ontera and The Government of Canada. Upon the completion of the CIP - Streetscape project the core downtown areas within the city will undergo major redesign and redevelopment changes which will encompass building upgrades and new pedestrian friendly recreational and retail options.

Timmins is evolving into a regional governmental, transportation, industrial, commercial and recreational centre for much of Northeastern Ontario and the James Bay coast line, Nishnawbe Aski Nation. The city has a regular annual market draw of 120,000+ people, which has been steadily growing in recent years with the discovery of diamonds in the region. The De Beers Victor Project is located near the First Nation James Bay community of Attawapiskat, and is Ontario's first diamond mine.

Politics

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Hollinger Park grandstands

The city's mayor is Tom Laughren. He was sworn in on December 8, 2006, succeeding Vic Power, the city's longest-serving mayor.

Eight councillors serve with the mayor to complete the municipal government. Those eight councillors are elected to one of five areas of the city through a Ward electoral system. Councillors are elected to a four-year term.

Coun. Gary Scripnick represents Ward 1, located in the city's west end or Mount Joy neighbourhood. Coun. Michael Doody, Denis Saudino, Steve Adams and Jack Slattery represent Ward 5, the most densley populated ward situated in and around downtown Timmins. Coun. Billy Gvozdanovic serves Ward 3, located in the city's Schumacher area. Coun. Pat Bamford represents Ward 4 or South Porcupine, which makes up part of Timmins' east end. Coun. John Curley serves Ward 2, or Porcupine, which makes up the other portion of Timmins' east end. [2]

Provincially and federally, the city is located in the Timmins—James Bay electoral district.

Tourism and culture

Some of the main tourist attractions within the city include: the Shania Twain Centre, Timmins Underground Gold Mine Tour, The Timmins Museum and National Exhibition Centre, Cedar Meadows Wilderness Tours, Kamiskotia Snow Resort, Porcupine Ski Runners Cross-Country Trails and Chalet, Hollinger Golf Club, Spruce Needles Golf Club, the Sandy Falls Golf Club, the McIntyre Community Building and the Timmins Snowmobile Club [3]. Snowmobiling impacts the Timmins economy as tourists from all over North America travel north to explore area trails.

The city's slogan is "The City with a Heart of Gold".

Hollinger Park is one of the city's main recreational spaces. The park is divided in two sections, the north side being the public park area, with the south side having a regulation sized baseball diamond and two soccer fields for more organized outdoor recreational endeavours. The baseball park has been home to the Standard Tavern Men's Baseball League since 1985. Timmins native Shania Twain played a concert at Hollinger Park on July 1, 1999. An estimated 22,000 people attended the outdoor concert.

File:HPIM0160.JPG
Chamber of Commerce

On the first Sunday in June of each year, Timmins holds a Multicultural Festival at the McIntyre Community Building. It reflects the unique ethnic diversity of the people in Timmins. You can experience the excitement of different cultures, savour the cuisine and the ethnic costumes.

The festival brings together many different cultural groups from within the City. Italian, Croatian, Polish, German, Ukrainian, Scottish, English, French, Irish, Austrian, Finnish, Chinese, Filipino, and Native Cultures as well as others to join together and celebrate the diversity of the community. There are local groups who perform traditional music and dances; a parade displaying the different colourful ethnic costumes; and an abundance of food and ethnic art demonstrations.

There are several ethnic clubs in the area representing the various multicultural groups in Timmins including Le Centre Culturel La Ronde, the Croatian Society, the Polish White Eagle Hall, the Irish Canadian Club, the German Culture Club, the Chinese Club, the Ojibway & Cree Cultural Centre, the Timmins Multicultural Society, Porcupine Dante Club as well as others.

Timmins is also a staging point for many of the wilderness outfitters in the district who offer a number of different northern wilderness experiences, such as hunting and fishing excursions. There's a boat launch located just south of the Mattagami River bridge off Algonquin Blvd which provides both summer and winter access to that main water course.

Kettle Lakes Provincial Park, situated just east of the city centre is dotted with 22 deep, spring-fed kettle lakes which are reachable by trails and roads. Some of the parks activities in summer include swimming, camping (day and overnight), paddling and fishing. In the winter the park offers cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails.

Timmins' sister city is Naoshima, Japan. The McIntyre Mine is 1.5 miles deep. There are 35 Townships and 1,500 miles of underground workings, and approximately 500 lakes in Timmins. In 1952, through the hard work of Canadian broadcast pioneer J. Conrad Lavigne, Timmins was the first community in Canada to air a French language radio station outside the Province of Quebec, CFCL.

Communities

The Dante Club - Italian Social Club

Schools

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Gillies Lake Board Walk

Postsecondary education

The main postsecondary institution in Timmins is Northern College, a College of Applied Arts and Technology. The city also has satellite campuses of Collège Boréal and Laurentian University's Université de Hearst. Four school boards serve the City of Timmins.

School boards

High schools

Media

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Timmins Fire Department

TV

Radio

Print

Online

Notable people from Timmins

File:HPIM0174.JPG
The Timmins Daily Press Building

See also: List of mayors of Timmins, Ontario.

Notable athletes from Timmins

Demographics

According to the Canada 2006 Census:

  • % Change (2001-2006): -1.6
  • Dwellings: 18,642
  • Density (persons per km².): 14.5

Language

In 2001, 53% of the population listed English as their first language (Anglophone) and 38% listed French (Francophone), 2% were listed as learning both at the same time and 6% have neither English nor French as their first language.[10]

See also: Franco-Ontarian

Religion

Sister cities

Links to Timmins information


North: Cochrane, Unorganized, North Part
West: Cochrane, Unorganized, North Part
Timmins East: Black River-Matheson
South: Timiskaming, Unorganized North West, Ontario

References

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