TIMMINS - A popular tourist attraction had something new added to its offerings this year.
A bust of Benjamin (Benny) Hollinger, who discovered the historic gold mine in 1909, was added to the Hollinger open pit lookout.
Hollinger was just 24 years old when he discovered the Timmins gold mine on a trip with Alex Gillies (whom Gillies Lake is named for). It was the world’s largest producer of gold from 1910 to 1968.
RELATED: Ever wonder how the Hollinger mine was discovered?
The statue was created by Sudbury artist Tyler Fauvelle, who also created the bronze statues of Jack Wilson, Sandy McIntyre and Benny Hollinger in front of the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre.
The lookout offers people a view of an active open pit mine in the heart of the City of Timmins. It is open seasonally, but was closed for much of the 2024 season after increased movement was detected in the wall of the open pit. When it reopened, Newmont Porcupine reassured residents that there were no risk to the community.
Newmont's operations in Timmins are on the selling block.
In February, the company put the Porcupine mines and Musselwhite in northwestern Ontario up for sale.
Orla, of which Newmont is a major shareholder, stepped up to secure an $850-million deal in November for the 27-year-old underground mine, 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay. The deal closes in early 2025.
RELATED: Opportunities abound for Northern mine owner to grow gold resources, shave costs
A deal for the Porcupine operations has not been announced.