A dream has become a reality for Lorie Young.
The Nipissing First Nation entrepreneur and now owner of Tim Hortons and Wolves Den Gas Bar located on Highway 17 West on Beaucage Road hosted an official grand opening on Wednesday morning.
"I first thought about opening a Tim Hortons back in 2006 just from going inside of a Tim Hortons and knowing that it was always busy," she said.
"So I put in a couple of applications to Tim Hortons over the years, and I always got turned down."
Young broke ground in May last year and opened officially to the public in July 2024.
However, a conversation with former NHL coach Ted Nolan gave her the confidence to continue to chase the opportunity.
"We met with Ted and we got the ball rolling," said Young, whose daughter Melanie played for Ted at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Mississauga back in 2012.
"He asked if we had a spot to open, and we had this idea in mind. We knew that there was a lot of traffic coming through Highway 17 here, a lot of trucking and stuff like that. So we got to work on that. It took us quite a few years to get to where we are."
Young says the new Tim Horton's employs 35 with the gas bar employing another 15.
See related: Ground breaks for new Wolves Den and Tim Hortons
The location features unique totem poles and community member photos to highlight the Nipissing First Nation's capabilities and respect.
"I'm so proud of what Nipissing First Nation has done and how we are perceived throughout the country," she said.
"So I really wanted to give back to the community. I wanted people to know outside of the First Nation that this is a First Nation that's important."
Young is overwhelmed by the positive feedback about the new business.
"I've been hearing a lot from people in North Bay and Sturgeon Falls that the Tim Horton's two locations in Sturgeon Falls are very, very busy," she said.
"So now people can take the opportunity to come through and stop here. I've got a double-lane drive-through that is a lot faster for customers to come in and out. We have a lot of people who travel back and forth for work, and we have a lot of people who travel back and forth for hockey. So I wanted to make it very accessible for those people."
The new location is open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
