Business booming in Timmins

More and more companies these days are coming to Timmins from all walks of life.

Earlier this week, we learned Bolat Industries will be looking to set up shop in the Timmins area. Bolat would run a production facility locally, which makes products to help stabilize the ground at mining sites.

Bolat’s Director Sandeep Agarwal says he is hoping to begin construction by the end of the year and be open by 2018. He adds the facility will provide an upwards of 30 jobs to the community.

For Timmins, this is just one of many big announcements over the last year, and with the impending closures of Dome underground operations (fall 2016) and Kidd Operations (2021), it’s a welcome addition.

Timmins Mayor Steve Black says “regardless of how many new jobs we bring in between now and then, (jobs at Kidd) are still jobs in the community that are going to disappear.”

“Mines close, that’s the nature of the business. And it’s going to be a disappointing day in the community when that happens,” he adds.

Black goes on to say the city is always trying to strengthen the local economy, grow jobs and be able to attract new people to Timmins, and the main way to attract people to a community is to have jobs for people to work in the community.

“It’s something I feel very passionate about,” said Black, “And I’m happy to help the staff at both the TEDC (Timmins Economic Development Corporation), and the MNDM (Ministry of Northern Development and Mines), as well as our city staff who work on these projects in any way i can to move these projects forward and try and attract new business to Timmins.”

But there is also something in common with these companies, which is why so many are flocking north. Mainly, it’s what we already have.

“A lot of these companies are involved in the mining process or require some raw material that we do have available in Timmins,” he said, “But it’s also due to the great work from our staff at the Timmins Economic Development Corporation, and the provincial staff here locally from the MNDM (Ministry of Northern Development and Mines). They’ve been working very hard together over the last couple years to work on foreign investment and try to attract these opportunities, help diversify our economy a bit over the last couple years, and now it’s starting to pay off.”

Black says he’s also continuing talks with Chinese investors to bring them over to the Timmins area. His trips to the other side of the world could show dividends very soon.

“We’re hoping to have that deal formalized sometime this summer or by early fall if possible to see them start moving ahead with land purchase, and plans to construct a facility here in Timmins as well.”

Whatever comes about in the next few years, the path to the future in Timmins isn’t as blurry as once thought.