Kapuskasing--Timmins--Mushkegowuk

Kapuskasing--Timmins--Mushkegowuk is a vast new federal electoral district in northeastern Ontario, the second largest riding in the province. Created through redistribution, it is an expanded version of the former Timmins--James Bay riding, absorbing communities like Kapuskasing, Hearst, and Chapleau that were previously in the Algoma--Manitoulin--Kapuskasing district. The 2025 election marked a historic political shift when Conservative Gaetan Malette won the seat, ending decades of NDP representation in the Timmins area dating back to 1984.

Candidates

Gaetan Malette (Conservative) * Born and raised in Timmins, Malette spent over forty-five years working in the forestry and mining industries across northeastern Ontario and northwestern Quebec. He ran sawmills and forestry operations in communities including Hearst, Kapuskasing, Chapleau, Cochrane, and Kirkland Lake, and spent several years with Dumas Mining in the Timmins area. He served as chair of the Timmins and District Hospital, the Timmins District Roman Catholic Separate School Board, and the Timmins Francophone Community Health Centre, and was vice-chair of the Timmins Police Services Board. He also served as a commissioner with the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.

Steve Black (Liberal) Black is a mining engineer and former mayor of Timmins. Originally from Oshawa, he studied mining engineering at Queen's University and moved to Timmins in 2004 for a co-operative education placement at Kidd Creek Mine. He was elected to Timmins city council in 2010 and became the city's youngest-ever mayor in 2014, serving until 2018. He returned to the council table representing Ward 5 and works as a manager of business development and community relations for Dumas, a mining services company. This was his second run as a federal Liberal candidate.

Nicole Fortier Levesque (NDP) Fortier Levesque was born in Opasatika and worked as a teacher at Cite des Jeunes in Kapuskasing for decades. She is the former mayor of Moonbeam, where she first served as a councillor. She campaigned on housing affordability, seniors' care, and removing the GST from essential items.

Serge Lefebvre (People's Party - PPC) Lefebvre ran as the People's Party candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

The riding stretches from the outskirts of Timmins northward to Hudson Bay and James Bay, encompassing communities ranging from small francophone towns along the Highway 11 corridor to remote First Nations accessible only by air. Key communities include Timmins, Kapuskasing, Hearst, Cochrane, Kirkland Lake, Iroquois Falls, and Moosonee, along with numerous First Nations including Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, Moose Factory, and Constance Lake.

The regional economy is built on resource extraction, primarily mining and forestry. Timmins has been a gold mining centre for over a century, and the forestry sector supports mills and operations across the northern portion of the riding. These industries have faced cyclical challenges, and the region has long contended with issues of economic diversification, infrastructure investment, and youth outmigration.

The 2025 election saw the conservative tide break through in a region that had been NDP territory for four decades. Cost of living, northern infrastructure, and the desire for economic development resonated with voters who chose Malette's business experience and deep community ties over the NDP's traditional hold on the region.