Timmins—James Bay

Timmins—James Bay covered a vast expanse of northeastern Ontario, extending from the gold-mining city of Timmins through dense boreal forest to the remote coastlines of James Bay and Hudson Bay. The riding ranked among the largest in the province by area, spanning roughly 250,000 square kilometres and encompassing the towns of Kapuskasing, Hearst, Cochrane, Kirkland Lake, and Smooth Rock Falls, along with several Cree and Ojibway First Nations communities including Attawapiskat, Kashechewan, Fort Albany, and Moose Factory.

Candidates

Charlie Angus (NDP) — The incumbent MP since 2004, Angus was born in Timmins and later co-founded the punk band L'Étranger in Toronto before returning to northern Ontario. He settled in Cobalt, where he launched HighGrader magazine celebrating northern Ontario life. In Parliament, he became a leading advocate for First Nations children's rights and championed the Shannen's Dream campaign for equitable school funding in Indigenous communities. He sought the federal NDP leadership in 2017.

Kraymr Grenke (Conservative) — A Timmins-area resident who served as the economic development officer for the Wabun Tribal Council. Grenke sat on several boards including the Timmins Police Services Board and the Timmins and District Hospital board, and was active in the Timmins Chamber of Commerce.

Michelle Boileau (Liberal) — A Timmins city councillor and the regional director for Contact North, an organization that connects northern communities to education and training opportunities. Boileau campaigned on attracting research, innovation, and government investment to promote economic development across the riding.

Max Kennedy (Green Party) — A high school math and science teacher in the Timmins area who entered the race motivated by concerns about climate change, arguing that the green economy could complement rather than threaten the region's mining industry.

Renaud Roy also ran for the People's Party.

About the Riding

Gold mining built Timmins more than a century ago, and the resource sector continued to underpin the regional economy heading into 2019. Active gold mines operated in and around the city, while forestry operations — including pulp and paper facilities in Kapuskasing and Smooth Rock Falls — provided employment despite years of industry contraction. The Victor Diamond Mine near Attawapiskat had closed in 2019, eliminating jobs that had supported both Indigenous and non-Indigenous workers and intensifying concerns about economic diversification.

The riding's immense geography created persistent challenges for service delivery. Communities along the James Bay coast lacked year-round road access, depending on winter ice roads and air transport for essential supplies. Attawapiskat and Kashechewan had both declared housing emergencies in preceding years, and boil-water advisories remained in effect across several First Nations. The Timmins and District Hospital served as the regional medical centre, but recruiting physicians and nurses to remote northern postings remained an ongoing struggle.

The proposed Ring of Fire mineral development — a massive chromite deposit in the James Bay lowlands — continued to generate debate. Supporters pointed to the potential for thousands of jobs and economic transformation, while several First Nations in the area raised concerns about environmental impacts and the need for meaningful consultation before construction of access roads through ecologically sensitive wetlands. Francophone communities in Kapuskasing, Hearst, and surrounding areas formed another important cultural dimension of the riding, maintaining French-language schools, media, and civic institutions.