It has been just over a year since my last State of the City address, and what a busy year it has been! We are not living in the same world that we were in when we were here a year ago. There’s a new president south of our border who’s threatening our country’s sovereignty. We have a new Prime Minister. And we went to the provincial polls a year early.
In just one year, things have really changed. Yet my vision for our community, for the community in which we’re raising our children, remains the same.
That vision is one of a safe, sustainable and solutions-oriented community that bands together like we always have. When I say safe, I mean free of crime, but also safe for diversity and inclusion. When I say sustainable, I mean fiscally, environmentally, and culturally. And when I say solutions-oriented, I mean that I want to be part of a community that promotes problem-solving and innovation; that applies a design thinking approach to overcoming challenges; and, that acts on plans and ideas.
A safe, sustainable and solutions-oriented community. That is what we’re working towards.
I’ve heard some people say that I am too much of a “social issues” mayor. But I know that it’s not just me. This position is shared by fellow councillors, city administration, and different departmental staff. We know that community development and economic development are intrinsically linked. Which is why we've been particularly focused this past year on economic development and supporting our business community. Because to have a healthy community, we need a strong economy, and vice versa.
This afternoon, I’m going to tell you about how the City is working for you and your business. I’ll share some of our recent advocacy wins, and we’ll talk about how we’re moving Timmins forward by planning for growth and prosperity.
Working for YOU and Your Business
Last spring, I was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). It’s been an honour to contribute to their advocacy work, especially over the past couple of months.
Our last set of committee and board meetings had me thinking about how Timmins is going to respond to the threat of tariffs. I figure, we’re just going to keep doing what municipalities do: act as engines of growth. We do this by concentrating economic activity, fostering innovation and skill development, and serving as hubs for trade and investment, ultimately driving regional and national prosperity.
Local government plays a vital role in economic development by providing infrastructure, promoting business-friendly policies, and fostering partnerships between the public and private sectors.
So, how exactly has the City of Timmins been working for you?
Let me rapid fire a few examples of how City employees are working for you:
- In 2024, Service Timmins agents had 37,582 interactions with residents, responding to 29,182 calls - that’s an average, per agent, of 6,258 interactions annually and 30-40 daily
- By-law Enforcement dealt with 2,651 cases in 2024. They’re already at 723 cases after just the first quarter of 2025
- As of last Friday, Public Works crews have removed 20,909 loads of snow
- Just this year, Public Works has filled 992 potholes (with 101 of those being done by the Python.)
From a governance perspective, Council adopted new by-laws this past year that respond to certain areas of concern :
- The Parklands By-Law, that allows us to better manage and maintain our public parklands for the enjoyment and benefit of residents and visitors
- The Vacant Buildings By-Law & Registry, that will allow us to hold property owners accountable for managing their vacant buildings or properties
- The Short-Term Accommodations By-Law, that will provide municipal oversight on properties used for short-terms stays and will allow for the collection of the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT)
Municipal bylaws are crucial for maintaining order, regulating community life, and ensuring the efficient operation of local government, covering everything from zoning and animal control to traffic and infrastructure.
By-laws are a tool that we, as Council, have to help improve life in Timmins and so, know that we’re always striving to exercise this responsibility in the best interest of the community.
This past year could also be referred to as the Year of Plans. That’s not a bad thing because “a goal without a plan is just a wish”, or as Councillor Feldman always says, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
You’ll recall in 2023, Council had received and adopted the Recreation Master Plan, and then later, the draft Culture & Tourism Master Plan.
Since the last ‘State of the City’, we have also either adopted or received:
- the Transportation Master Plan
- the Housing Action Plan
- the Airport Master Plan
Engineering is also currently working on a Growth Management Study, an Infrastructure Needs Study, and much more!
I’m sure to some of you, all of these plans sound like money being spent on a plan to spend more money, just to end up on a shelf without ever being implemented. But that’s not what’s happening here.
As Winston Churchill is quoted saying, “Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.” In other words, the process of planning and thinking through a situation is more crucial than the plan itself, as the world is often unpredictable. Churchill's quote suggests that the ability to think strategically and adapt to changing conditions is what’s really important.
Planning empowers us with the information we need to better adapt to change - or better yet, to adapt to new opportunities as they present themselves.
Which brings me back to the Growth Management Study. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the population grow by almost 5%, and Timmins is anticipated to continue growing over the next 25 years. Shifts in population, employment, and housing will change the landscape of our community.
Imagine what Timmins will be like in 25 years from now? In the year 2051?
The purpose of the City’s Growth Management Study is to provide clear direction on where and how residential and employment growth could and should occur in Timmins over the long term.
We’ve just kicked off the public consultation phase of the Study with the launch of our public survey asking residents to consider what Timmins’ role could be in Northeastern Ontario.
As we plan and prepare for growth, there are certain imperatives that can’t be overlooked, such as the need for more housing, and more doctors. We know Timmins faces a critical doctor shortage, needing approximately 40 more physicians, including 15 family doctors and 25 specialists, and we know there is a looming wave of retirements that will further exacerbate the issue.
I’ve been personally involved in our local physician recruitment efforts. The City co-leads the Timmins Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee (TPRRC), which is community-focused and working to develop strategies to attract and recruit new physicians to Timmins, and ensure that recruited physicians are retained.
I’m pleased to tell you that over the 2024/2025 recruitment cycle, we have successfully:
- added four new full-time physicians to our community and will be welcoming at least another two this summer. They include two (2) Family Physicians, two (2) Emergency Physicians, one (1) Orthopedic Surgeon and one (1) Radiologist
- we’ve welcomed 50 new locum (or traveling) physicians
- we’ve secured a contribution of $77,500 from the Rural Economic Development fund to support physician recruitment initiatives
- we’ve created a community partnership to establish a new physician start-up grant of $60,000 per new recruit
- we’re planning a Northern Medical Symposium to bring physicians to Timmins and create a bit of exposure in the winter of 2026
Recognizing that these physician recruitment efforts are a key component to a holistic community development strategy, we’ve committed Timmins Economic Development resources to the committee’s work, because we’ve heard from you about how important it is that your employees and prospective employees have access to a doctor.
You’ll recall that at this time last year, Council had just received the recommendation of a governance review of the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) and decided to bring economic development in-house.
We’re dropping the ‘C’ in TEDC and going with TED.
The rationale for integrating economic development into City operations is:
- to provide a link to the City’s overall strategic objectives
- provide transparency on outcomes and allow the City to reasonably assess value-for-money
- to integrate administrative and office services, increasing the potential for operating efficiencies
- to be consistent with best/common practice for similar sized municipalities
Since last year, the focus of our activities has been on creating the operational plan for Economic Development staff. The key areas include:
• ensuring Timmins is development ready
• alignment with key sector areas
• achieving programming excellence
• enhancing communications, marketing, and brand effectiveness
Since the announcement of the governance review and the change in direction, TED has been performing! City staff have been working closely with Economic Development staff on a variety of development projects including:
- mining investment proposals
- the Housing Action Plan
- the Growth Management Study
- our internal subdivision planning committee
activities related to creating the next rail and industrial parks
The core objectives for TED have been updated to support sector development, generate leads for investment, and ensure that Timmins is development ready. Because new investment is knocking at our door, and we’re inviting it in with open arms.
The TED team have been working and vetting businesses of all types and sizes who are interested in investing in Timmins. From the traditional sectors like mining supply and services, hotels and restaurants, and warehousing to newer sectors like data centres, chemical production, and innovative technologies.
I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing first-hand how this team can turn a random message into a meeting and dollars being spent in Timmins in a matter of days.
We also have the community development arm of TED which continues:
- to support business through workforce development and immigration
- to support non-profit organizations
- to enhance social, economic, and cultural well-being
The Community Development team was successful in our bid for the latest immigration pilot programs. TED will be overseeing the Rural Communities Immigration Pilot and the Francophone Communities Immigration Pilot for Timmins and area. These programs are vital to ensuring we have the qualified workforce that we need to sustain the economic growth we're expecting.
This past year, we also brought Tourism under TED, so we could be more strategic in leveraging tourism opportunities to advance community and economic development.
All in all, I'm very happy with the evolution of Timmins Economic Development and its integration into the City. I was 100% certain that we made the right move with TED after this year’s PDAC convention earlier this month.
After receiving feedback from many of you following last year’s event, it was obvious that you wanted Timmins to have more of a presence at what’s is known to be the world’s premier mineral exploration and mining convention. And, rightly so. Timmins is one of the richest mineral-producing areas in the Western Hemisphere. We have a robust mining-driven ecosystem made-up of a well-established and sophisticated mining supply and services industry with over 150 companies and a highly skilled and experienced workforce. And, Timmins is home to world class infrastructure.
Why wouldn’t we want to promote what we have here?
We often hear that we have what the world wants. I say, let’s bring it to them!
With your input, our team designed a booth for the trade show. We had a “grand opening” for our booth, with a ribbon cutting, in which many Timmins’ companies participated, including Chief Constant from Mattagami First Nation. We estimate that we had approximately 140 or more visitors to the booth throughout the convention. It’s worth noting that most of these visitors were companies not from Timmins who are considering expanding into our market.
We also received many Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) leads, as well as job seekers and companies interested in the Canadian Mining Expo (CME) that happens in Timmins in June.
And finally, the highlight of this year’s PDAC was definitely the Timmins Reception that we held for the first time, which was made possible by our generous local sponsors.
They include:
- OK Tire
- NPLH Drilling
- The Bucket Shop
- Blue Heron Environmental
- DJB Mining
- ATCO
- J.L. Richard & Associates
- Villeneuve Engineering Services
- Timmins Chamber
We welcomed approximately 150 guests at our casual networking event where we offered good food and drink, good conversation, connections, and notable speakers including Timmins’ MPP, The Honourable George Pirie, and Tony Makuch.
This event, our other activities, and the presence of about 40 or more Timmins’ businesses and organizations, really helped put the City of Timmins on the map at PDAC.
Advocacy Wins for Team Timmins
How are we doing? And, where are we going?
I’d say that Team Timmins is at the top of our bracket.
That’s how Minister Pirie and I refer to ourselves. Team Timmins. Because when he was first elected to the legislature, and I was first elected mayor, we committed to working together to deliver on our shared vision of growth and sustainability for Timmins.
We have regular meetings to provide updates and discuss emerging priorities. This is important because Timmins hasn’t seen this kind of working relationship between City Hall and the MPP’s office in a long time. No Mayor and MPP duo have been able to deliver what we have together for Timmins.
We’ve seen some pretty significant advocacy wins this past year. We received nearly $2M combined in NOHFC funding to enhance our recreational facilities (these include parks, arenas, and the Mattagami boat launch area). We received $9M from the Housing-Enabling Water Infrastructure Fund to help us develop the Melrose Heights subdivision, north of J.V. Bonhomme, which will lead to the creation of over 240 serviced lots. We were thrilled to see the announcement for over $20M that’s required to rehabilitate Hwy. 67 (Municipal Road). Finally, we also received over $3M from the province’s Encampment Response Initiative. And, though it may not be what we really need, which is more funding for mental health and addictions treatment in our community, we’ll take all that we can get on this front.
Moving Timmins Forward
So, how are we doing?
In 2024, our population was up. The number of people participating in the labour force was up. The unemployment rate was not just down, but trending lower than the provincial average and that of our comparators.
There’s also a good amount of construction happening in our City. We can see in the permits for ‘Large Projects’ (those of half a million dollars or more) that there’s over $34M worth of construction investment in Timmins in 2024/2025.
So, where do we go from here?
I could tell you that Council believes, and is investing in the future of Timmins. The past 3 years have seen the largest capital budgets in the City’s history.
And again, that’s not only because we have to maintain and upgrade what we currently have, but because we are actively preparing for growth and prosperity for our community.
When I talk to employers in town, whether it’s mine managers, the hospital looking for physicians, or any other small and medium business, you all say the same thing: we need housing. We need things for people to do. We need a safe, reliable transportation network for people to get around.
Over the next year, you’re going to hear a lot more about housing.
The City’s plans to break ground on a subdivision. We’re going to support our partners in the development of much needed senior’s housing and affordable housing. Staff will continue to work on the development of a Housing CIP (or Community Improvement Program).
You’re also going to hear more around recreation this year. Council is set to receive a report on the direction for the Parks & Recreation Department. We hope to have more grant applications approved to help with the upgrades we have planned in our current facilities. There’s also a bit of a race among the five northern cities to see who could build Northern Ontario’s first real cricket pitch. And, of course, we’ll continue to pursue a new Multi-Use Recreational Complex with more planning, design work, and ultimately, a financing model that could work for us.
In terms of transportation, Connecting Link work continues this summer with Segment 13 being completed in Porcupine. We will continue working through the modernization of Timmins Transit. And, most urgently, I will be pushing hard for the development of a network of detour routes to finally get the big trucks out of our city’s core. By no means do we want to stop the trucks from running (because we know that would mean the end for Timmins), but we want to try to get them off of our critical infrastructure and onto roadways that are more appropriate for industrial traffic.
That’s how we are working to support local business and industry, and preparing for growth and prosperity for Timmins.
I know that we’re at a time of uncertainty around the world. We will feel the impacts here at home but, like one of my colleagues at FCM said, “That’s why Canadians (and Timmins residents) are expecting more from their leaders. More focus. More maturity. More commitment to delivering outcomes that matter in their everyday lives.”
As I mentioned at the beginning, we’re stepping up. Municipalities are stepping up - addressing the housing crisis, building core infrastructure, strengthening community safety, and preparing for the climate impacts that are already at our doorstep.
At the Timmins Reception a few weeks ago, I shared with our guests something that Paul Davis, VP Exploration with EV Nickel, said in our meeting, “Timmins always seems to find a way.” And he’s right.
We are finding our way, Timmins!
I’ll conclude with a sincere thank you to today’s event sponsors, Northern College and Lake Shore Gold, for their partnership in supporting this event.
Merci. Meegwetch.
