Tim Hortons opens first fly-in-only location in northern Manitoba

A new Tim Hortons opened up in Oxford House, a small community of around 2,800 in northern Manitoba, the first to open in a fly-in-only reserve.

Residents of a remote community in northern Manitoba will no longer have to go without their double-double and maple-glazed doughnut after Tim Hortons opened its first-ever "fly-in" franchise.

The iconic chain’s latest restaurant opened Monday in Oxford House, a First Nations community of about 2,800 that is not accessible by road. Oxford House is located about 1,000 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

"Wherever I go, I see line-ups at Tim Hortons, usually at least 15 cars, and it is good to have it here, too," said Chief Timothy Muskego, as a long queue formed inside the coffee shop Monday following the grand opening.

Tim Hortons opened its first Northern Canada location in Iqaluit in 2010, but this marks the first franchise in a fly-in-only community.

"We try to bring the best to the north that we can find in the south, and we listened to what the community's needs are. And in this case, Tim Hortons was identified," said Edward Kennedy, CEO of The Northwest Company, which built the new shopping centre hosting the Tim Hortons.

On Monday, Tim Horton's handed out 1,000 insulated travel mugs and poured more than 100 litres of coffee as hundreds of people came out to celebrate the new addition. Even those who don't normally drink coffee showed up for the big event.

"I'm not a big coffee drinker, but for Timmies, yeah I will," said Victor Grieves, sipping a cup after the ceremonial ribbon cutting by 106-year-old Sarah Harper.

Another resident Jessie Bee added: "A lot of people like Tim Hortons coffee and it tastes good."

Bridget Miller, director of new business development in Canada for Tim Hortons, said she was thrilled with the turnout. "Just to see the response from the people in the community, and to see how much Tim Hortons means to them, really is very special for us."

Because the restaurant will be supplied by regular flights from Winnipeg, which deliver groceries and other merchandise to The Northwest Company, the store's prices are relatively comparable to those in the rest of Canada.

A small coffee will cost $1.62, compared to $1.40 in Winnipeg. A doughnut costs $0.99 in Oxford House, compared to $0.95 in Winnipeg.

"They have regular shipments," said Miller. "With the partnership, we can bring the products here regularly."

The restaurant will be staffed by three employees.

With a report from CTV Winnipeg's Rajeev Dhir