There’s been a string of ‘firsts’ this spring in Timmins: the promise of the first cricket pitch, first Sean McCann concert, and first commercial teaching kitchen, just to name a few.
Another first will be The Big Red Pull, where burly teams will compete to pull a 12-tonne firetruck 100 feet across the finish line in the fastest time.
“We’re really excited to bring this to Timmins,” said United Way Centraide North East Ontario regional manager Jennifer Gorman.
“Our United Way does a similar event in North Bay, pulling a plane. I am on the same street at the fire department, and I have some really good connections with them, so I thought ‘Why not a fire truck rather than a plane pull?’”
All proceeds from the event will support United Way’s Community Fund, which helps local service-providing organizations tackle pressing issues such as homelessness, food insecurity, and low literacy.
Agnico Gold is the event’s first and lead sponsor. The company operates Detour Lake mine, the biggest gold mine in Canada. Timmins is a service hub for their employees, which has recently prompted the company to sponsor physician recruitment at the local hospital, and an annual non-profit showcase.
“They put in their team right away and started other mine rescue teams and other mines to participate, and it’s growing really quickly,” Gorman said at a recent Seniors Fair.
So far, there are ten teams signed up, and Gorman was hoping to double that by this Wednesday.
Though it will be the first such fundraiser in Timmins, it has been done by United Way Niagara, and Gorman has been in touch with her colleagues there for tips on how to run the event.
Funds raised will be directed towards the organization’s goal to “move people from poverty into possibility,” Gorman said.
The organization primarily carries out its mission locally by funding other agencies such as Access Better Living, Anti-Hunger Coalition Timmins, and Timmins family Counselling.
It also runs a few programs of its own such as its online volunteer resource centre which matches volunteer profiles with opportunities, and their “Keeping Seniors Warm Program,” pairs eligible seniors with a volunteer to go shopping for winter clothes.
United Way Centraide North East Ontario recently announced the appointment of Cory Roslyn as its new executive director, effective June 17, 2025.
Roslyn is the former executive director at the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northeastern Ontario which helps women, girls and the gender-diverse navigate the justice system and reintegrate into society.
The United Way Centraide North East Ontario serves the districts of Sudbury, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Manitoulin, Cochrane, and Timiskaming, making it the largest United Way by land mass.