Commonly known as the “City with a Heart of Gold,” Timmins, the 4th largest city in Northeastern Ontario, is nestled along the Mattagami River, offering bountiful economic opportunity and natural beauty to all who call Timmins home. With a history anchored in gold mining, Timmins has evolved from a company town into one of the most diverse, vibrant, and welcoming communities in Ontario. Today Timmins is a city of 42,000, making it just large enough to offer access to quality services, educational and employment opportunities, and recreational facilities, while still maintaining the small-town charm to walk to work and provide an affordable cost of living.
This guide for moving to Timmins was developed as a resource for those who are considering moving to Canada and are looking for a new home that offers quality services, employment opportunities, educational opportunities, accessible health care, an affordable cost of living, and an overall enjoyable quality of life. Keep reading for answers to all your questions about why you should make the move to Timmins, Ontario.
Where is Timmins?
Timmins is one of the largest cities in Canada when measured by land size and thankfully has a reasonable population, which means there is plenty of space for everyone. The City of Timmins is centrally located in Northeastern Ontario, South of neighbouring community Cochrane, Ontario. For context, Timmins is 700 km north of Toronto, approximately 300 km north of Sudbury, and just 350 km north of North Bay Ontario on the Trans-Canada highway.
How do you get to Timmins, Ontario?
If you are visiting by road, Timmins is situated minutes away from the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 11), which provides easy access to major markets across the province. Other highways servicing Timmins are Highways 144, 101 and 655. Alternative options for getting to Timmins include by train, bus, or just a short 90-minute flight to most major centres.
The Timmins Victor M. Power Airport is one of the largest airports in northern Ontario and is a convenient gateway to Toronto as well as to other northern Ontario communities. The airport is located approximately 11 kilometers north of the city’s business district.
What jobs are available in Timmins?
Employment opportunities in Timmins are readily available for job seekers of all backgrounds, education, and experience levels. The average age in Timmins is 40.5, making it one of the youngest labour forces in Ontario with Employment opportunities in Timmins are readily available for job seekers of all backgrounds, education, and experience levels. The average age in Timmins is 40.5, making it one of the youngest labour forces in Ontario with the highest employment participation rate of the five major northern Ontario cities. While natural resources are still at the heart of the local economy, accounting for more than 13 per cent of job opportunities, Timmins has diversified to include other growing sectors such as health care, government services, education, and retail. Major employers and industries in Timmins include:
- Agnico Eagle – Mining
- City of Timmins Government – Public Administration
- Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board – Government/Public Administration
- Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grande Rivières – Education
- District School Board Ontario North East – Education
- Glencore Canada Corporation – Mining
- Newmont – Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines – Mining
- Northern College – Education
- Pan American Silver – Lake Shore Gold Corporation – Mining
- Timmins and District Hospital – Health Care
Did you know?
Timmins has a large francophone community, and nearly half of their labour force identifies as bilingual!
How much does it cost to live in Timmins?
One of the unique benefits of life in Timmins is the combination of an affordable cost of living and an attainable work-life balance. Larger centres across southern Ontario, such as Toronto and Ottawa, have seen dramatic spikes in the cost of living and real estate, making achieving homeownership and work-life balance increasingly challenging. In Timmins, we are fortunate to have access to world-class services and facilities while being an affordable place to live, creating opportunities for homeownership and a lifestyle that doesn’t include hours of commuting to work in heavy traffic.
Our mortgage payments, property taxes, utilities, and other municipal services in Timmins – for a family with children – are about 23 per cent lower than Ottawa and 30 per cent lower than Toronto. For renters in Timmins, prices for a two-bedroom apartment are around 37 per cent lower than in Toronto. With families in our community boasting a similar average after-tax income to those in southern Ontario cities, the lower cost of living, coupled with strong employment opportunities, means not only living a higher quality of life today, but positioning yourself to get ahead and thrive tomorrow. Timmins is a place where you can set goals and dream big for the future, because you aren’t just keeping your head above water, you’re swimming towards something great.
Services in Timmins, Ontario
In Timmins, we have access to big-city services without the hassle and inconveniences of large crowds, waitlists, and traffic. Services including health care, public transit, municipal services, libraries, places of worship, recreational facilities, and social support services are readily available and accessible to all. Whether you are looking for swimming lessons for the kids, or navigating your transportation to work, Timmins makes life easier than larger big cities.
Education in Timmins
Educational opportunities in Timmins are readily available for both English and French speaking students at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. There are four local school boards that provide primary and secondary education for students in grades 1-12.
If you are looking to continue your learning at a post-secondary level, Timmins offers four unique institutions to choose from. Each of these academic institutions offers different learning opportunities and skills, and all are easily accessible online and within our community.
- Algoma University at Timmins
- College Boréal
- Northern College of Applied Arts & Technology
- Université de Hearst
Things to do in Timmins
When you live in Timmins, you won’t be spending hours of your day commuting to and from work, leaving plenty of time for embracing your passions and exploring new opportunities. As a northern community you can expect four distinct and predictable seasons with varying temperatures and climates. Whether you’re seeking outdoor adventure, a vibrant art scene, or looking to try something new with family and friends, there is something for everyone here. A few highlights of life in Timmins include:
- The Timmins Museum: A public resource dedicated to the presentation, promotion and preservation of heritage and culture through exhibitions, community education and public programs. The Museum is currently presenting “The Hollinger House,” recreating a 1930s miner’s home, and the prospector’s cabin.
- Multicultural Festival: The Multicultural Society of Timmins hosts the annual Multicultural Festival. The first Festival was in 1972 and it continues to grow in popularity. The Multicultural Festival features an indoor walking parade, multicultural booths where food is sold, and displays of costumes and artifacts.
- Outdoor Activities: Timmins offers a variety of recreational activities throughout the community thanks to the natural environment, including a trail system for walking, hiking, or biking. Timmins is a winter wonderland with endless opportunities for skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, outdoor skating, hockey and more!
- Parks & Camping: Whether you are looking for provincial parks and campgrounds, or secluded spots on our lakes and rivers, the Timmins area has an abundance of recreational areas to pitch a tent, take a swim, or have a picnic while enjoying our pristine wilderness.
- Arts & Culture: In addition to the Timmins Museum, the Timmins Symphony Orchestra performs several concerts per season. In the summer, its School of Music hosts a music camp while the organization provides music lessons throughout the year. The Porcupine Art Club, a group of both experienced and novice artists, share a love of creating art while Take Two Theatre produces original plays and comedy acts.
What is the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP)?
RNIP is a community-driven immigration program designed to spread the benefits of economic immigration to smaller communities. RNIP creates a path to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers who want to work and live in Timmins long-term. The goal of RNIP is to address persistent and emerging local labour market needs and support economic growth and development with the City of Timmins.
As you are exploring your options and evaluating where in Canada would be a fit for you and your loved ones, we encourage you to consider Timmins. We are known for our gracious and generous northern hospitality, and we genuinely enjoy life. Our community is filled with educational and economic opportunities that will allow you and your family to get ahead and live a life you enjoy. To learn more about Timmins, please Move To Timmins website.
