What do you think the “City with a Heart of Gold” will look like in the year 2051? A new Growth Management Study commissioned by Timmins’ Planning Division seeks to answer that question by forecasting future municipal housing, employment, and industrial needs.
“We’ve started to experience residential and commercial development pressures,” Scott Tam, Timmins’ director of growth and infrastructure, told Northern Ontario Business. “We’re undertaking this study to help manage the growth properly and get it right.”
The city, which currently has 44,900 residents, saw a 4.7 per cent increase in population between 2016 and 2024.
Over the next 25 years, estimates predict growth will continue, causing changes in the landscape of the community that will result in economic expansion, increased community vibrancy, and a larger tax base.
“We want to make sure the city has the appropriate land, infrastructure, housing needs — any breadcrumb we can use to help us develop and grow this municipality in the region, and identify areas that are underutilized,” said Tam.
The Planning Division hopes the study will help the city to face challenges associated with the current and prospective growth, such as infrastructure requirements, municipal service delivery, and environmental protection.
“We’re still trying to identify where we have wiggle room with our current infrastructure,” said Tam. “We need to know where our pinch points are and where we need to facilitate growth. We’re trying to map this out to make a good plan for the years to come.”
The city has retained Watson & Associates Economists Ltd., in association with J.L. Richards & Associates Ltd., to provide direction for where and how residential and employment growth should occur to benefit the community’s long-term economic and fiscal growth.
The city’s Planning Division also hopes to use the study to make policy recommendations on urban land needs, and long-range planning forecasts for municipal services that will provide the foundation for the city’s Official Plan Review.
The Official Plan will be updated to adhere to recent policy framework changes at the provincial level, including amendments to the Planning Act and the Provincial Planning Statement.
In addition to determining residential land needs, the study will provide information on whether the city has a sufficient supply of urban lands for agricultural, industrial, and commercial needs, while providing options for expansion and development for lands with active development plans and vacant urban lands that currently have no development applications.
“We want to see if we’re in line with what’s happening in the world, explore our own economic factors and regional development, and focus on things that will have an impact,” said Tam.
Macroeconomic factors, such as regional development trends that position Timmins as an important regional centre, are also factoring into the municipality’s plans.
“We’ve been seeing some industrial growth,” said Tam. “Mining is one of the key industries in the region. We’re trying to be supportive of that. It’s the first step in helping tie things together.”
A presentation by the city council available on the city’s website notes the prospective growth in the precious metals and critical minerals sectors due to projects such as the Crawford Nickel Project and the Côté Gold Project.
Canada Nickel’s Crawford Nickel Project open-pit mine will be an estimated $2.5-billion development located 40 kilometres north of Timmins, with first production expected in late 2026, early 2027.
The Côté Gold open pit mine, operated by IAMGOLD and located halfway between Sudbury and Timmins in Gogama, has continued to see positive momentum since opening in 2024.
“The critical minerals market is growing,” Tam said. “Some of those industries have approached the municipality and have said they want to establish themselves here long term. …We’re asking ‘What’s out there, how can we help support industry’?”
The municipality also hopes to support smaller industrial sectors projected to see subtle growth alongside the mining industry, said Tam.
“We’re going to lean into what’s already established, but there is opportunity for everyone and anyone — any kind of entrepreneur and business…. Everything’s an intricate web, so everything will see expanded growth. We’re accepting it with open arms.”
The Growth Management Study’s Work Plan involves three phases, with Phase One, the review and analysis phase, being currently underway. This phase involves information gathering and research, and the development of a community engagement plan designed to receive feedback from the public.
In an effort to inform, consult, and involve citizens, the city held an open house on April 1, where decision-makers obtained feedback from community partners and the public.
“We’re having open consultation periods now,” said Tam. “It’s key to include perspectives and input from everyone. It’s an opportunity for everyone to help us shape the region. Everyone plays a big part in this because it affects everyone’s futures. We want to see this municipality grow and be stable going forward.”
The city is also holding a survey on its website from March 19 to April 18 in order to determine citizens’ thoughts, ideas, and concerns about future growth.
The city council’s online presentation notes the importance of weighing economic development against citizens’ concerns about the sustainability of the city’s natural heritage system, including wildlife habitats, woodlands, and other key natural resources.
Phase Two of the study, which will take place until September 2025, involves a growth trend analysis, identifying opportunities for accommodating growth, and the development of growth forecasts and land needs.
Phase Three will see the adoption of the Growth Management Strategy Report. The adoption and execution of the strategy should follow shortly afterwards in the fall of 2025, said Tam.
When asked what he hopes to see in Timmins future, Tam said, “What I hope to see is that Timmins becomes sustainable, with growth through innovation … the opportunities are endless.”
