Timmins prospector fighting to keep northern rail service

After years of searching through the fly-infested bushlands of northern Ontario for mineral deposits, Timmins prospector Don McKinnon is shifting his attention. McKinnon is launching an all out personal war against Ottawa and Queens Park. The battlefield? Railways.

The late 1980s saw a drastic curtailment in freight and passenger rail traffic in northern Ontario. As a result, several scheduled train runs were cut, and in some instances, railway lines and ties were hauled away forever. McKinnon, one of two Timmins prospectors tied to the discovery of the Hemlo gold field in northwestern Ontario, has amassed a personal fortune that allows him to self-finance in-depth studies and legal action.

In early February, McKinnon filed documents with the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), Ontario Premier Bob Rae and Northern Development Minister Shelley Martel which suggest the Ontario Northland Railway (ONR) has no right to be selling a large chunk of real estate in downtown Timmins, a mining community whose roots can be traced back to early this century.

The City and the ONTC have been working on a deal to sell about 15 acres of land once occupied by the ONR’s Timmins operations.

The ONTC is negotiating the deal with private investors in conjunction with the city to develop half of the property for a hotel/motel complex and strip mall.

In his documents, McKinnon focuses on a written agreement signed between Timmins Townsite Company Ltd. and the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway Commission.

The 1912 document, filed under the Land Titles Act, transferred the land in question from the Timmins Townsite to the railway for one dollar. The document goes on to suggest that the land is to be used for railway purposes only, primarily for development.

McKinnon, whose passion for the north has taken many forms, is fighting the sale all the way.

“They tore up the tracks in Timmins the same day that they announced a series of meetings to discuss rail service in the north, ” he said.

McKinnon is calling for a government investigation into the issue of ownership and development of railway lands in northeastern Ontario. McKinnon has also called for an investigation into the ONTC’s land development policies.

The wealthy, self-taught prospector mused: “Who is going to move newly discovered ore deposits for smaller mining companies if they have to haul it for custom milling?”

McKinnon, who still uses Timmins as his primary residence, went further: “How will ore be shipped to mills and refineries like Kidd Creek here in Timmins once their ore body runs out? With no railways, you have to ship by truck and that’s too expensive.”

McKinnon argues that ONTC lands throughout northern Ontario are being sold off and developed under questionable circumstances.

“I am aware of similar legal issues surrounding the ONTC lands in North Bay, Kirkland Lake, Cochrane and Moosonee,” he said.

“For instance, the Moosonee lands appear to be similarly limited by statute limitations in existence in 1932.”

Sources close to McKinnon say he is also prepared to file a legal injunction in an effort to force the Ontario government to prove the ONTC owns the land. McKinnon and his legal advisers have pointed out that the land, having been vacated of railway activity, should revert to the Province of Ontario itself.