Timmins, Ontario

Timmins, with a population of 43,686 (2001), is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At 2,961.52 square kilometres, Timmins was Canada's largest city in land area until 2001, when the city of Greater Sudbury was created.

The city was founded in 1912 after three gold mines were discovered in the area. Mining, of gold and other metals such as silver, zinc, copper, and nickel, is the dominant industry in the area. Forestry is also important to the local economy, and Timmins is a regional government and commercial service centre for much of Northeastern Ontario.

The mining prospector for whom the city is named was an ancestor of a noted Canadian entertainment family which includes three members of the rock band Cowboy Junkies.

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.

Demographics

According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:

• % Change (1996-2001): -8.0
• Dwellings: 18,806
• Density (persons per sq. km.): 14.8

Communities

• Dome
• Gold Centre
• Hoyle
• Porcupine
• Schumacher
• South Porcupine
• Timmins

Notable people from Timmins

Shania Twain is the most famous native of Timmins. Other notable figures from the city include:

• Roy Thompson, newspaper magnate, started his empire in the 1930's with the Timmins Daily Press
• Charlie Angus, musician and songwriter for the band Grievous Angels, now serving as the NDP Member of Parliament for Timmins—James Bay
• Bill Barilko, NHL hockey player and Tragically Hip song subject ("Fifty Mission Cap", from 1992's Fully Completely
• Gilles Bisson, NDP Member of Provincial Parliament for Timmins—James Bay
• Les Costello, former NHL hockey player with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the golden era. Later became a Roman Catholic priest in Timmins while continuing to play hockey for "The Flying Fathers".
• Shean Donovan, NHL hockey player
• J. Conrad Lavigne, broadcasting pioneer
• Frank Mahovlich, former NHL hockey player and now Canadian Senator
• Ian Orenstein lived in the Timmins area from 1967 to 1971. At one time he was a paper boy for the Timmins Daily Press.
• Alan Pope, former Progressive Conservative MPP
• Jim Prentice, Conservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament from Calgary, Alberta
• Myron Scholes, award-winning economist
• Steve Sullivan, NHL player
• Philippe Tatartcheff, poet and songwriter for Kate and Anna McGarrigle
• Lola Lemire Tostevin, novelist and poet
• Porcupine Pete, cute mascot