Small businesses are critical to Timmins’ local economy. When we support a small business by shopping local, we are contributing to the success of our local neighborhoods, school districts, and other small business owners. There’s a reason why the Timmins Chamber’s popular “Find it in Timmins” campaign asks you to, “put your money where your house is.” When we support small business, we are helping our shared community thrive.
A big part of our city’s identity is fostered by small business. Small businesses can connect us to our history, but also illustrate how a city is changing and becoming more diverse.
This is Small Business Week. We want to take this opportunity to thank our local business entrepreneurs, employees, and customers for supporting our economy and helping Timmins grow and prosper.
Mayor Kristin Murray
City of Timmins
Amanda Dyer
The City of Timmins is looking for interested applicants to volunteer on a number of important boards and committees for the next term of Council.
Council establishes committees and boards as a way for residents to provide input and make recommendations on matters that impact our community. When you bring your unique background and expertise to a board or committee, you're helping the City of Timmins learn, listen, and be more engaged with our residents.
Are you interested in Timmins history and heritage? Are you interested in our parklands and green space? Are you interested in helping create a more accessible community? There is a board or committee that you would be great on!
The term is four years from November 2022 to 2026.
Opportunity is available on the:
- Timmins Committee of Adjustment
- Timmins Public Library Board
- Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee
- Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre
- Timmins Police Services Board
- Mattagami Region Conservation Authority (MRCA)
- Municipal Accommodation Tax Advisory Committee (MAT Tax)
- Heritage Committee
Please forward resumes on or before November 4, 2022.
You can submit your resume by dropping it off at Service Timmins, e-mailing [email protected] or by mail to:
Steph Palmateer
City Clerk
220 Algonquin Blvd. E.
Timmins, ON P4N 1B3
Amanda Dyer
September 26, 2022
By Email: [email protected]
Paula Puddy, Commission Secretary
Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario
PO Box 37018 Southdale
London, Ontario
N6E 3T3
Dear Ms. Puddy,
RE: Impacts of boundary redistribution in Northern Ontario
On behalf of the City of Timmins, I am writing with concerns about the proposed boundary changes and recommended redistribution of federal electoral districts. Any reduction of Northern Ontario’s federal ridings would result in the underrepresentation of our northern communities.
I understand that adjustments are being considered to ensure citizens are adequately represented by Parliament. While the proposed changes may address population growth in Ontario’s southern centres, it would leave Ontario’s remote and rural regions struggling to be heard at the federal level.
This proposal will have the effect of diminishing Northern Ontario’s voice in Government and see MPs have to serve northern regions the size of countries in Europe. The Commission must take into consideration that our geographical size, not our population, already produces significant constraints on accessibility, immigration, and the conducting of business when access to supplies is hampered by long distance. Expanding the current boundaries would pose important challenges to maintain a level of engagement and representation from Parliament.
Further, the City of Timmins has established a Relationship Agreement with the Mushkegowuk Council to examine issues of joint interest. In the spirit of Reconciliation, I have reached out to the Mushkegowuk and the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation leadership and was surprised to learn that there was no federal consultation with the northern Indigenous communities. There is a vital link between the James Bay coastal communities and the City of Timmins for health care, transportation, education and economic development. This proposed redistribution does not take these important ties that bind our communities together into account. I cannot support any boundary redistribution plan that marginalizes our partners and does not respect the important right of our First Nations communities to be consulted.
In conclusion, I am asking that the Commission maintain the current number of electoral districts in Northern Ontario. We rely on our Member of Parliament as a liaison between our citizens and the federal government and strongly encourage the proposed boundary changes be reconsidered.
Sincerely,
Mayor Kristin Murray, City of Timmins
CC: MP Charlie Angus – Timmins-James Bay ([email protected])
Amanda Dyer
We know that residents are concerned about people living along Algonquin Blvd. E. at the underpass and want to assure you that we are also concerned.
We have worked with Timmins Police Service on clean-up and waste collection and will continue to provide support from both our Public Works and By-law Departments. Please understand that this is both a short-term and temporary solution that solves the immediate problem. The City is also committed to helping find a long-term solution so that our most vulnerable are supported, while the area is kept accessible and safe for residents.
We continue to work with public service agencies who are providing consistent outreach, often every day, to help address the human element. Ultimately, we are talking about people who are experiencing homelessness with possible mental health and addiction concerns. A level of sensitivity is required to any proposed solution.
We will continue to listen to your feedback and provide updates as they are available.
Sincerely,
Mayor Kristin Murray
City of Timmins
Amanda Dyer
Please be advised that contractors will start controlled blasting in the Connecting Link construction zone beginning Monday, Sept. 12. 2022. Blasting will be on-going until further notice and will occur Monday to Friday between 7am and 7pm.
Controlled blasting is being done to remove bedrock from pipe trenches located from Preston Ave. moving west towards Mountjoy St. This is to facilitate continued installation of underground infrastructure along Algonquin Blvd.
Noise and vibration in the area are to be expected. Contractors will work to control dust from blasting activities.
Controlled blasting is being done to remove bedrock from pipe trenches located from Preston Ave. moving west towards Mountjoy St. This is to facilitate continued installation of underground infrastructure along Algonquin Blvd.
Businesses and residents in the area have been notified by contractors.
We appreciate your continued patience as we work towards project completion.
Amanda Dyer
Please be advised that water will be shut off in the area surrounding the Connecting Link construction zone along Algonquin Blvd. on the evenings of Sept. 12 AND Sept. 13, 2022 beginning at 9:00 p.m. and for a period of approximately 9 hours.
The shut off area is specific to the construction zone site and will impact businesses and homes along Algonquin Blvd. between Theriault Blvd. and Mountjoy St. including the Preston St. apartments, extending up Rea St. N. immediately behind the grocery store and Hollinger Plaza.
This is necessary to work on water infrastructure in the construction zone.
When the water flow returns, you may experience discoloured water. Before using the water, it is recommended to run your cold-water taps for a minimum of 10 minutes until the water runs clear. You may need to do this once water is turned on from each disruption.
Residents and businesses in the area have been notified by contractors.
Thank you for your continued patience as we work towards project completion.
Amanda Dyer
Connecting Link update for August 30, 2022. Crews are currently working on the intersection at Preston St. All new infrastructure at Preston St. and Algonquin Blvd. is complete. Crews will start the disinfection procedure on the new watermain system this week. Hydro One will be moving services from old utility poles to new poles within the work zone. Once this is complete, the old utility poles will be removed and crews will complete the subdrains and start preparing for curb and sidewalk installation from just east of Theriault Blvd. to Preston St.
Work in the Beer Store parking lot has been finished and paving is being scheduled.
As we head towards the Mountjoy intersection, we are expecting to hit bedrock and may have to blast. You can see some of the existing rock formation on Algonquin by the Senator Hotel. A pre-blast survey has been completed by the contractor with all area businesses and residents in the area.
Finally, with the downpour we got last night, crews had some minor pumping of the excavation site this morning, but it won’t have impact on work progress.
Amanda Dyer
On September 3, Timmins Transit will end its temporary summer service reduction and resume the modified schedule implemented during the pandemic. Route 16 (South Porcupine / Porcupine) and Routes 37 and 38 (Melrose / Riverside) will return to 30-minute frequency. Timmins Transit will continue to run a modified Saturday schedule Monday to Friday based on current ridership numbers.
Ridership refers to the number of the people who use the bus. That number has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. What does this mean for operations? Before COVID, transit fares covered roughly 35% of operating costs (fuel, wages, maintenance, and administration). On an operational budget exceeding $5 million, the municipal tax base had to absorb 64% of the costs with just 1% coming from other revenues. Since COVID, transit fares have covered just 19% of operational costs with the tax base now covering 68%. The City has also had to rely on operational grants to cover 12% of transit operations, even though the cost to operate was reduced through service reduction. The totals provided are based on actuals from 2019 to 2021. Add to that on-going labour shortages that have made hiring drivers post-COVID challenging.
At this time, a modified schedule works best to balance service, convenience, and cost. Timmins Transit tracks ridership numbers every month and can respond to an increase in demand if necessary. Management has also initiated a complete route analysis that will help to determine system efficiency. It’s the first step in evaluating how to increase ridership and find alternative modes of service delivery that better suit the needs of our community.
Timmins Transit’s popular Northern College Express will also hit the road on September 6 to help students travel back and forth from the Transit Terminal on Spruce St. direct to the Northern College campus. This seasonal service is another example of how Timmins Transit works to actively address demand and improve service.
The City of Timmins is currently hiring part-time bus drivers. The successful candidate will have an acceptable driving record and be capable of possessing a Class “BZ” or “CZ” Ontario’s Driver’s License. No transit experience is required, training is provided. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/3KcasjA.
Track your bus online using https://tracker.timminstransit.ca or download the Timmins Transit app today from Google Play or App Store.
Amanda Dyer
City Council has appointed Deputy Mayor Kristin Murray as Mayor ahead of the next municipal election on October 24, 2022. The appointment was of historic significance as Murray is notably the City’s first person of colour to serve on council and now as Mayor.
Murray is of Jamaican and Cree ancestry and is a registered member of Chapleau Cree First Nation. She was first elected as Councillor for Ward 5 in 2018. As a new councillor, Murray’s representation of the city’s diverse population brought invaluable lived experience to council.
“I am thrilled to have the support of my fellow councillors as I carry out the term as Mayor,” says Mayor Kristin Murray. “From the COVID-19 pandemic to the election of George Pirie as our local Member of Provincial Parliament, this term has been both challenging and exciting.
“On a personal level, I am humbled to be part of history as I become the city’s first person of colour to serve as Mayor. Let it be known that I don’t want to be known only as the first person of colour to hold this position. I am so much more than that. I am a community member who genuinely cares and wants the best for our region. We have some complex issues to address and I hope to contribute some innovative approaches to meeting our community’s needs. We also have some amazing projects underway and I am excited to help encourage the growth and development of Timmins and area.”
Murray will now serve as Timmins’ mayor until the city elects a new mayor and council later this fall. The resulting vacancy created by Murray’s appointment is within 90 days before voting day of the next regular election and does not need to be filled as per Ontario’s Municipal Act, 2001. City council will appoint a new deputy mayor at the next regular council meeting.
For more information on the 2022 municipal election, visit our Elections Page.
Amanda Dyer
Construction on segment 6 of the Connecting Link corridor continues with City contractors working on watermain and sewer infrastructure beneath Algonquin Blvd. Work is currently being completed between Rea St. and Preston St. moving east towards Mountjoy St.
The full segment will have complete reconstruction of the roadway, replacement of underground services, pole relocation, and curb installation.
Timmins Police Service has recently issued a couple of traffic advisories related to the southern detour along Commercial Ave. Motorists have been reminded that the “no left turn” signs on Wilson Ave. and Mountjoy St. S. should be adhered to and will be enforced and that the small section of Mattagami Blvd. S. at the bridge remains one-way. It is not part of any construction detour this summer. Motorists bypassing construction should continue to use the proper detour routes and be prepared for short delays.
Amanda Dyer
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