Timmins—James Bay

Timmins—James Bay is the largest federal riding in northeastern Ontario and the second largest in the province, spanning approximately 251,600 square kilometres. The district stretches from the outskirts of Timmins northward to the shores of James Bay and Hudson Bay, encompassing the communities of Kapuskasing, Hearst, Smooth Rock Falls, Cochrane, Moosonee, and Kirkland Lake. It also includes several Cree and Ojibway First Nations, notably the Mushkegowuk communities of Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, Kashechewan, and Moose Factory. Approximately 19 percent of the riding's population identified as Indigenous, and close to 3,500 residents spoke Cree as a mother tongue. The riding's total population was approximately 82,400.

Candidates

Charlie Angus (NDP) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 2004 by fewer than 600 votes. Born in Timmins, Angus co-founded the punk rock band L'Étranger in Toronto before returning to the north, where he launched HighGrader magazine devoted to northern Ontario life and culture. He became a prominent advocate for First Nations children's rights and co-founded the Shannen's Dream campaign — named for the late Cree youth leader Shannen Koostachin — which led to a unanimous parliamentary motion calling for an end to the systemic underfunding of First Nations education. He was a candidate for the federal NDP leadership in 2017.

Morgan Ellerton (Conservative) — A 33-year-old mental health nurse born and raised in the Englehart area. Ellerton worked as a diamond driller before earning his nursing degree at Northern College and becoming a registered nurse at Timmins and District Hospital, where he specialized in psychiatric mental health nursing and worked with the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team — a partnership between the Timmins Police Service and the hospital.

Steve Black (Liberal) — The former mayor of Timmins, serving from 2014 to 2018, and a former city councillor from 2010 to 2014. A mining engineer by training, Black focused his campaign on championing the resource sector while also addressing mental health, addiction, affordable housing, and childcare.

Stephen MacLeod (PPC) — The People's Party of Canada candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

The economy of Timmins—James Bay has historically revolved around natural resources — gold mining, base metals, forestry, and diamond extraction. Timmins was founded as a gold-mining town around 1907, and mining remained the economic engine of the region. The now-closed Victor Diamond Mine near Attawapiskat had been a major employer during its operational years. Forestry operations, including pulp and paper mills in Kapuskasing and Smooth Rock Falls, continued to provide employment, though the sector had experienced significant contraction over the preceding two decades.

The vast distances within the riding created acute service-delivery challenges. Residents of remote First Nations communities often lacked reliable road access — Attawapiskat, Kashechewan, and Fort Albany were accessible only by winter ice roads or air transport for much of the year. These communities faced persistent housing crises, with overcrowded homes and a shortage of new construction materials. Water safety was a chronic concern — several communities had been under boil-water advisories for years.

Healthcare access was a dominant issue across the riding. The Timmins and District Hospital served as the regional centre, but communities to the north relied on nursing stations with limited capacity. Recruitment of physicians and nurses to remote postings remained a persistent challenge. Mental health and addiction services were in high demand, particularly in communities grappling with the opioid crisis and intergenerational trauma.

The riding's religious composition was approximately 64 percent Christian — predominantly Catholic at 44 percent — with about 34 percent reporting no religious affiliation. Linguistically, the riding had significant Francophone communities in Kapuskasing, Hearst, and surrounding areas, alongside English-speaking and Cree-speaking populations.