Nipissing—Timiskaming

Nipissing—Timiskaming is a sprawling northeastern Ontario riding covering approximately 16,685 square kilometres along the Quebec border. The riding runs from the City of North Bay—its largest population centre—northward through the Timiskaming District to the town of Englehart, and southward to the community of Powassan. It encompasses the City of Temiskaming Shores and the smaller towns of Cobalt, Mattawa, Latchford, and numerous rural municipalities within the Nipissing and Timiskaming districts. Lake Nipissing, Lake Temiskaming, and the Ottawa River define much of the riding's geography.

The 2021 census recorded a population of approximately 98,237, yielding a low density of roughly six persons per square kilometre. The median age of 45 years is well above the provincial average, reflecting an aging population. The riding is 81.7 percent White and 14.9 percent Indigenous, with a significant francophone minority—approximately 13.8 percent of residents speak French as their first language. Median individual income in 2020 was approximately $39,600.

Candidates

Anthony Rota (Liberal) — Born in North Bay in 1961, Rota holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Wilfrid Laurier University, a diploma in finance from Algonquin College, and an MBA from the University of Ottawa. His family roots trace to Cosenza, Italy. First elected in 2004, he lost his seat in 2011 by a reported 14 votes before reclaiming it in 2015. He was elected Speaker of the House of Commons in 2019 and re-elected to the speakership following the 2021 election.

Steven Trahan (Conservative) — Trahan served as Deputy Mayor of East Ferris and spent 21 years with the North Bay Police Service, working as a uniformed officer, acting sergeant, detective in the Street Crime Unit, and member of the Emergency Response Team for twelve years. He is also a local entrepreneur.

Scott Robertson (NDP) — Robertson is a North Bay city councillor elected in 2018 and a passionate advocate for housing and climate action. He focused his campaign on affordable housing, homelessness, mental health, and pharmacare—issues he heard repeatedly from constituents during his time on council.

Gregory J. Galante (PPC) — Galante ran as the People's Party of Canada candidate in the riding, advancing the party's national platform of reduced government spending and personal freedoms.

About the Riding

Nipissing—Timiskaming was formed in 2004 from the amalgamation of the former Nipissing riding with the southeastern portion of the former Timiskaming–Cochrane riding. Its geography spans a dramatic range of landscapes—from the moderate urban amenities of North Bay, a city of roughly 52,000, to remote townships accessible only by secondary highways. North Bay serves as a regional centre for healthcare, education, and government services, home to Canadore College and Nipissing University as well as CFB North Bay, which houses NORAD's underground operations centre at the Canadian Forces Station in the nearby rock of the Canadian Shield.

The Timiskaming District, in the riding's northern reaches, has a rich mining heritage. Cobalt's silver rush in the early 1900s was one of the defining episodes in Canadian mining history, and the town's legacy is preserved in its mining heritage museum and the remnants of headframes dotting the landscape. Temiskaming Shores—formed from the amalgamation of Haileybury, New Liskeard, and Dymond Township—serves as the commercial hub of the district, situated on the western shore of Lake Temiskaming.

The riding's francophone communities, concentrated in areas like Sturgeon Falls and Verner, have deep roots in the region's settlement history and maintain French-language schools, parishes, and cultural organizations. Healthcare access is the dominant local concern—the vast geography means residents in remote communities often face long drives to reach hospitals and specialist services. The financial crisis at Laurentian University in Sudbury, though outside the riding, reverberated through the region as the institution cut programs that served students from across northeastern Ontario.